Wakefield Asset Management LLLP raised its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 223.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,217 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,985 shares during the period. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP's holdings in CME Group were worth $1,915,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CME. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,389,442 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,946,717,000 after buying an additional 104,697 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 89.9% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,280,785 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,923,047,000 after buying an additional 3,921,278 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,107,389,000. FIL Ltd lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 4,081,391 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $947,821,000 after buying an additional 61,908 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,943,454 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $915,788,000 after purchasing an additional 403,920 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.
CME Group Trading Down 0.1%
Shares of CME stock opened at $274.64 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $98.97 billion, a PE ratio of 27.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.44. The business's 50 day moving average is $275.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $193.25 and a 12 month high of $290.79.
CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($0.02). CME Group had a net margin of 57.71% and a return on equity of 14.03%. Equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.
CME Group Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th were given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. CME Group's payout ratio is 50.30%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 390 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.50, for a total value of $108,225.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 6,708 shares in the company, valued at $1,861,470. The trade was a 5.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard bought 256 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $270.53 per share, with a total value of $69,255.68. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 258,196 shares in the company, valued at $69,849,763.88. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,400 shares of company stock worth $3,680,610 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
CME has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $269.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $200.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. 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. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $283.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $261.80.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on CME Group
About CME Group
(
Free Report)
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.
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