Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Cuts Stake in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management trimmed its position in CME by 1.1%, selling 30,962 shares to hold 2,741,769 shares (about a 0.76% stake) worth roughly $739.4 million after Q4.
• CME beat expectations for the quarter with $3.36 EPS versus $3.11 expected and $1.88 billion in revenue (up 14.5% YoY), and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 (annualized $5.20, 1.8% yield).
• Analyst and ownership picture: MarketBeat shows a "Moderate Buy" consensus target of $305.29, a market cap of about $103.9 billion and a P/E of ~24.5, while insiders have sold roughly $2.7 million of stock in the past 90 days.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. reduced its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,741,769 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 30,962 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.76% of CME Group worth $739,400,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Caldwell Trust Co increased its holdings in CME Group by 116.3% during the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in CME Group during the third quarter worth $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates boosted its position in CME Group by 1,250.0% during the 4th quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME opened at $286.82 on Wednesday. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $257.17 and a 12 month high of $329.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $302.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $286.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market cap of $103.93 billion, a PE ratio of 24.47, a P/E/G ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.23.

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

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. CME Group's payout ratio is 44.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on CME. TD Cowen reduced their price target on CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Erste Group Bank raised CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on CME Group from $362.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods started coverage on shares of CME Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $305.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $305.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were 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 owned 7,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,397,597.04. This represents a 31.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total transaction of $1,300,530.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 43,007 shares in the company, valued at $13,317,117.55. The trade was a 8.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,539 shares of company stock worth $2,713,821. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.