RFG Advisory LLC Grows Stake in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• RFG Advisory increased its CME Group stake by 208.2% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 6,835 shares valued at approximately $1.51 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.75% of CME’s stock.
• CME Group exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.99 in EPS on $1.71 billion in revenue, while analysts expect full-year EPS of $12.27. The company also declared a $1.30 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.9% annualized yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $289.75. CEO Terrence Duffy sold 15,000 shares, while director William Shepard purchased 325 shares.

RFG Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 208.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,835 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,617 shares during the quarter. RFG Advisory LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $1,509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 21,954.4% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 131,243,023 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,982,397,000 after buying an additional 130,647,934 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $6,749,965,000. State Street Corp boosted its stake in CME Group by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,144,525 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,408,747,000 after purchasing an additional 56,725 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth $1,523,241,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,924,475 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,344,776,000 after purchasing an additional 134,242 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $275.54 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.08 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.24. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $263.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $277.42. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $218.31 and a twelve month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.08. CME Group had a net margin of 63.30% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.96 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.27 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

Insider Activity

In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.44, for a total transaction of $4,116,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 40,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,150,497.20. This trade represents a 26.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard acquired 325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $230.57 per share, for a total transaction of $74,935.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 260,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,050,111.94. This trade represents a 0.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on CME shares. Wall Street Zen raised CME Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on CME Group from $249.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $324.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of CME Group from $310.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $289.75.

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that provide trading, clearing and settlement services for a broad range of financial and commodity products. Its exchange platforms enable participants to manage risk, discover prices and gain exposure to asset classes including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, metals, agricultural commodities and digital assets.

The company's principal marketplaces include CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX. Products are offered through futures and options contracts, with electronic trading available through CME Globex as well as exchange-based and privately negotiated transactions.

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