CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Purchased by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 10.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 73,216 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,653 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in CME Group were worth $19,423,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 612.5% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in CME Group in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its stake in CME Group by 50.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of CME stock traded down $1.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $274.83. 1,234,017 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,189,328. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.17 and a 52-week high of $290.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $99.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.44. The stock's fifty day moving average is $276.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $258.03.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.19. CME Group had a net margin of 57.71% and a return on equity of 14.03%. The business had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.50 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Phyllis M. Lockett sold 1,060 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.88, for a total transaction of $294,552.80. Following the sale, the director owned 3,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $863,651.04. This trade represents a 25.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.35, for a total value of $132,675.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,215. The trade was a 9.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,400 shares of company stock valued at $3,680,610 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $279.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $269.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $259.87.

About CME Group

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.