Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 185,552 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Vontobel Holding Ltd. cut its CME Group stake by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 185,552 shares. It still held 1.74 million shares valued at about $476.2 million, making CME its 13th-largest position.
• CME Group reported a strong quarter, with EPS of $3.36 versus estimates of $3.11 and revenue of $1.88 billion versus expectations of $1.77 billion. Revenue rose 14.5% year over year, and the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share.
• The company is expanding growth initiatives, including new equity index futures, 24/7 trading for WTI crude oil and gold, and crypto index futures. These moves could boost trading volume, though regulatory scrutiny around crypto remains a potential headwind.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. lowered its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,743,756 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 185,552 shares during the quarter. CME Group makes up approximately 1.5% of Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Vontobel Holding Ltd. owned 0.48% of CME Group worth $476,185,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1,250.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 191.9% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Up 2.8%

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $269.53 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $284.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $288.07. The firm has a market cap of $97.67 billion, a PE ratio of 23.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.21. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $244.56 and a 1 year high of $329.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. This trade represents a 38.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total transaction of $1,752,536.39. Following the transaction, the insider owned 27,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. The trade was a 17.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 44,044 shares of company stock worth $13,297,507. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting CME Group

Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CME announced four new E-mini futures contracts tied to broad-market equity benchmarks, plus new Micro E-mini options on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. These launches could attract more trading volume by giving investors additional, lower-cost ways to hedge and gain market exposure. CME Group to Expand Equity Index Suite with Launch of Four New E-mini Futures Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: The company also said it will expand 24/7 trading for WTI crude oil and gold, which could improve price discovery and make CME’s metals and energy products more attractive to global traders operating outside normal market hours. CME Group to Expand 24/7 Trading for WTI Crude Oil and Gold
• Positive Sentiment: CME launched Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures and is moving deeper into digital-asset derivatives, giving investors regulated exposure to major cryptocurrencies and potentially opening another growth avenue for the exchange. CME Group Launches Crypto Index Futures Tracking Bitcoin, Solana and XRP
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for CME, signaling stable earnings expectations rather than a major change in outlook. MarketBeat report on CME estimate update
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary around the CFTC’s crypto oversight has raised concerns about regulatory pressure and market criticism, which could create uncertainty for CME’s expanding crypto-related products. CFTC’s Lone Chair Selig Expands Grip Over Crypto and Prediction Markets

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of CME Group from $342.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on shares of CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered shares of CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.71.

About CME Group

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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