4,543 Shares in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Acquired by S Bank Fund Management Ltd

Key Points

• S Bank Fund Management Ltd has acquired a new stake in CME Group Inc. during the first quarter, purchasing 4,543 shares valued at approximately $1.2 million.
• Insiders have been selling shares, with General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus and Director Charles P. Carey reducing their holdings amidst increasing institutional investment in the company.
• Equities research analysts have raised their target prices for CME Group, with Morgan Stanley setting an increased target price of $304.00, signaling confidence in the company's growth potential.

S Bank Fund Management Ltd bought a new position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 4,543 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,205,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in CME Group in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in CME Group by 122.2% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in CME Group by 612.5% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in CME Group during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in CME Group during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Trading Down 0.3%

CME traded down $0.78 on Friday, hitting $273.92. The company had a trading volume of 2,055,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,086,143. The company has a market cap of $98.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.52, a PEG ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.44. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.16 and a 12-month high of $290.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $275.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $267.37.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.60% and a net margin of 58.48%. The firm's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CME Group news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 390 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $277.50, for a total transaction of $108,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 6,708 shares in the company, valued at $1,861,470. The trade was a 5.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Phyllis M. Lockett sold 1,060 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.88, for a total transaction of $294,552.80. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at $863,651.04. This represents a 25.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 2,450 shares of company stock valued at $676,663 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CME shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays set a $298.00 price target on CME Group and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $305.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on CME Group from $283.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $261.93.

About CME Group

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.