Invesco LLC Cuts Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Invesco LLC decreased its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 52.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 886 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 992 shares during the quarter. Invesco LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $235,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CME. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 108.7% in the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 12,390 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,949,000 after buying an additional 6,453 shares in the last quarter. Unified Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $503,000. Aspire Growth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth $548,000. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in shares of CME Group by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 43,135 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,443,000 after acquiring an additional 1,408 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 111.2% during the 1st quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 3,006 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $797,000 after purchasing an additional 1,583 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME stock traded up $1.65 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $273.03. The stock had a trading volume of 1,589,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,226,524. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $274.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $255.92. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $192.11 and a 52-week high of $290.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $98.39 billion, a PE ratio of 27.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.70 and a beta of 0.45.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.03% and a net margin of 57.71%. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders 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 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $200.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $258.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $273.17, for a total transaction of $81,951.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,765,601.39. This trade represents a 1.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Larry G. Gerdes sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total value of $528,200.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 38,651 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,207,729.10. This trade represents a 4.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,400 shares of company stock worth $3,680,610. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group 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.