Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Sells 19,365 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lessened its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 19.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,424 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 19,365 shares during the quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $16,727,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. MayTech Global Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Power Corp of Canada acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of CME traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $212.77. The company had a trading volume of 1,653,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,780,624. The company's 50 day moving average price is $213.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $211.35. The stock has a market cap of $76.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.99, a PEG ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.49. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $175.73 and a 52 week high of $223.80. 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 (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.10. CME Group had a net margin of 57.83% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.92 EPS. The company's revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.6 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 51.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CME shares. Argus lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $229.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of CME Group from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $195.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $216.18.

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.