CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lowered its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 2.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 130,030 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,057 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in CME Group were worth $34,496,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its position in CME Group by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, United Community Bank bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME traded down $0.61 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $269.04. 831,417 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,193,614. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.95 billion, a PE ratio of 27.82, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.45. The company's 50 day moving average price is $272.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $253.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $190.70 and a 52 week high of $290.79.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.19. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 57.52%. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.50 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director Larry G. Gerdes sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total value of $528,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,651 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,207,729.10. This represents a 4.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Kaye sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.42, for a total value of $141,210.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,668 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,035,916.56. This represents a 12.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,400 shares of company stock valued at $3,680,610. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on CME. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $269.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $258.20.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services.