Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. Buys Shares of 8,116 CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. invested approximately $2.15 million in CME Group, acquiring 8,116 shares, making it the fund's 20th largest holding.
• In the fourth quarter, several institutional investors significantly increased their stakes in CME Group, with Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raising its position by 50.2%.
• CME Group announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.8%, reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 48.40%.

Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 8,116 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,153,000. CME Group comprises approximately 2.3% of Measured Risk Portfolios Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Element Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 34.6% during the 1st quarter. Element Capital Management LLC now owns 40,381 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $10,713,000 after buying an additional 10,381 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in CME Group by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,135,077 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $301,100,000 after acquiring an additional 39,971 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in CME Group by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 6,983 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,853,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in CME Group by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Azimuth Capital Investment Management LLC now owns 31,391 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $8,328,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hamlin Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CME Group by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 791,456 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $209,965,000 after acquiring an additional 10,909 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Trading Down 0.3%

CME Group stock traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $273.92. The stock had a trading volume of 2,055,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,079,104. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.16 and a 52-week high of $290.79. The firm has a market cap of $98.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $275.52 and a 200 day moving average of $267.59.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.05. CME Group had a net margin of 58.48% and a return on equity of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.56 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.40%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CME Group news, Director William R. Shepard acquired 256 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $270.53 per share, for a total transaction of $69,255.68. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 258,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,849,763.88. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.35, for a total transaction of $132,675.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,300,215. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,450 shares of company stock worth $676,663. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CME has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 13th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price 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. Finally, Erste Group Bank cut shares of CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.