CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Purchased by Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in CME Group by 105.8%, acquiring an additional 4,746 shares and bringing its total to 9,230 shares valued at approximately $2,449,000.
• CME Group reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $2.96 for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $2.91, with a net margin of 58.48% and quarterly revenue growth of 10.4% year-over-year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend of $5.00 and a yield of 1.8%.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 105.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,230 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,746 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $2,449,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CME. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 122.2% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 612.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of CME Group stock traded down $3.51 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $270.41. 2,164,956 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,079,104. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.44 and a 1 year high of $290.79. The stock's fifty day moving average is $275.56 and its 200 day moving average is $267.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $97.45 billion, a PE ratio of 26.18, a PEG ratio of 4.86 and a beta of 0.44.

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

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 48.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays set a $298.00 price target on shares of CME Group and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 13th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $261.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Daniel G. Kaye sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.42, for a total transaction of $141,210.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,668 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,035,916.56. The trade was a 12.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard bought 256 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $270.53 per share, with a total value of $69,255.68. Following the purchase, the director owned 258,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,849,763.88. This represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 1,390 shares of company stock worth $382,110 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.