AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Sells 5,369 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc reduced its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 273,236 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 5,369 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for approximately 0.8% of AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned about 0.08% of CME Group worth $60,210,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of CME. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,810 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,723,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 436 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 7,667 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 593 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 4,276 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $943,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Up 1.6 %

CME stock traded up $3.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $225.66. 1,798,000 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,483,283. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $230.36. The firm has a market cap of $81.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.73, a P/E/G ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $221.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $209.91.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.03. CME Group had a net margin of 57.34% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.37%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Timothy S. Bitsberger sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.96, for a total value of $226,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,403,279.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,621 shares of company stock worth $3,441,063 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $235.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $222.73.

CME Group Profile

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.