Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 11,067 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its CME Group stake by 6% in the fourth quarter, adding 11,067 shares to bring its total holding to 194,538 shares worth about $53.1 million. Institutional investors still own the vast majority of the stock, at 87.75%.
• CME Group posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, reporting EPS of $3.36 versus estimates of $3.11 and revenue of $1.88 billion versus expectations of $1.77 billion. Revenue rose 14.5% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 12.28.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, payable June 25 to shareholders of record on June 9, implying an annualized yield of 2.1%. Recent insider selling included shares sold by CEO Terrence A. Duffy and insider Hilda Harris Piell.

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 194,538 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,067 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of CME Group worth $53,125,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID boosted its stake in CME Group by 191.9% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in CME Group by 1,250.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 197.4% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME opened at $252.64 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company's fifty day moving average price is $290.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $289.02. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $244.56 and a 1-year high of $329.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $91.55 billion, a PE ratio of 21.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.21.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CME Group news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total transaction of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This trade represents a 17.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. The trade was a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 44,044 shares of company stock valued at $13,297,507 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on CME. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on CME Group from $295.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Argus restated a "hold" rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on CME Group from $362.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their price target 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, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods began coverage on CME Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $305.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.29.

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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