CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Acquired by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

Key Points

• J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG has increased its stake in CME Group by 8.9%, acquiring an additional 40,012 shares in the first quarter, bringing its total shares to 490,770.
• Recent research indicates a consensus rating of "Hold" for CME Group, with an average target price of $261.93 among analysts.
• CME Group announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.8%.

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lifted its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 490,770 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 40,012 shares during the quarter. CME Group comprises 2.4% of J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned approximately 0.14% of CME Group worth $130,196,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 89.9% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,280,785 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,923,047,000 after purchasing an additional 3,921,278 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 32,941.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,858,887 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $493,144,000 after purchasing an additional 1,853,261 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in CME Group by 4,216.2% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 922,805 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $214,301,000 after buying an additional 901,425 shares during the last quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP raised its stake in CME Group by 79.4% in the first quarter. Egerton Capital UK LLP now owns 1,730,194 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $459,003,000 after buying an additional 765,773 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 29.9% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,818,590 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $747,744,000 after buying an additional 648,591 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 390 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.50, for a total value of $108,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 6,708 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,861,470. This represents a 5.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Kaye sold 500 shares of the business'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 owned 3,668 shares in the company, valued at $1,035,916.56. This represents a 12.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 5,750 shares of company stock worth $1,576,294 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CME Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:CME traded down $2.49 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $284.61. The stock had a trading volume of 1,571,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,367,523. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.93 and a 12 month high of $290.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.57 billion, a PE ratio of 27.55, a P/E/G ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $264.74.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.68 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.60% and a net margin of 58.48%. CME Group's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.56 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CME. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Barclays set a $298.00 target price on shares of CME Group and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $261.93.

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.