PFG Investments LLC Buys 2,032 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

PFG Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 167.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,032 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, United Community Bank bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $269.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of CME Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $287.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $279.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $258.20.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.17, for a total transaction of $81,951.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 24,767 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,765,601.39. This represents a 1.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Larry G. Gerdes sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total value of $528,200.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,651 shares in the company, valued at $10,207,729.10. This represents a 4.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,400 shares of company stock worth $3,680,610. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Up 0.7%

CME Group stock opened at $273.99 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $98.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.56, a PEG ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.45. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $192.11 and a 1-year high of $290.79. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $274.17 and a 200-day moving average price of $255.58.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.71% and a return on equity of 14.03%. CME Group's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 50.30%.

CME Group Profile

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.

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