QRG Capital Management Inc. Grows Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management raised its stake in CME Group by 8.3% in Q4 to 75,687 shares, valued at about $20.67 million.
• CME posted a beat for the quarter (EPS $3.36 vs. $3.11 est.; revenue $1.88B, up 14.5% year-over-year) and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 ($5.20 annual, ~1.8% yield).
• The stock has a MarketBeat consensus rating of Moderate Buy with a $305.29 target, institutional investors own roughly 87.8% of shares, and insider ownership is around 0.3% amid recent insider selling.

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 75,687 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,827 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $20,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caldwell Trust Co raised its position in CME Group by 116.3% in the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC raised its position in CME Group by 64.9% in the fourth 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. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new position in CME Group in the third quarter worth $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in CME Group in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new position in CME Group in the third quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Trading Up 0.3%

CME Group stock opened at $290.29 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $105.19 billion, a PE ratio of 24.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.23. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $303.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $286.82. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $257.17 and a 52 week high of $329.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. This is a boost from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on CME. Argus reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded CME Group from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. TD Cowen dropped 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on CME Group from $275.00 to $267.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 7,192 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,397,597.04. This trade represents a 31.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.90, for a total value of $91,770.00. Following the sale, the director owned 24,999 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,647,194.10. This represents a 1.19% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,539 shares of company stock worth $2,713,821. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.

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