Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA Acquires 31,744 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA increased its stake in CME Group by 52.7% in the fourth quarter, buying 31,744 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 91,972 shares worth about $25.1 million.
• CME Group reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.36 versus estimates of $3.11 and revenue of $1.88 billion versus forecasts of $1.77 billion. Revenue rose 14.5% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, payable June 25 to shareholders of record on June 9, for an annualized yield of about 1.8%.

Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA raised its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 52.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,972 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 31,744 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for about 1.5% of Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA's holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Kepler Cheuvreux Suisse SA's holdings in CME Group were worth $25,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in CME Group by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,660,000 after buying an additional 1,037 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in CME Group by 103.1% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 121,707 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in CME Group by 1,325.2% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 23,572 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,497,000 after purchasing an additional 21,918 shares in the last quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $992,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in CME Group by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 287,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $79,344,000 after purchasing an additional 7,397 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Price Performance

CME stock opened at $281.25 on Monday. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $257.17 and a 52 week high of $329.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $301.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $287.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 0.23.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Argus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on CME Group from $313.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their target price on CME Group from $340.00 to $316.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $305.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total transaction of $1,097,120.67. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 7,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,397,597.04. This trade represents a 31.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total transaction of $1,300,530.00. Following the sale, the director owned 43,007 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,317,117.55. The trade was a 8.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,791 shares of company stock valued at $2,489,421. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

About CME Group

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world's largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company's core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.

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