CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Purchased by Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD.

Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD. raised its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 12.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,299 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 1,395 shares during the period. Capital Group Investment Management PTE. LTD.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $2,856,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CME. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,107,389,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $871,063,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in CME Group by 70.4% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,427,107 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $544,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003,119 shares during the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 69.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 2,435,823 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $565,671,000 after purchasing an additional 996,498 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new stake in CME Group in the fourth quarter worth about $223,967,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other CME Group news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $2,888,378.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,885 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,453,085.45. The trade was a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Suzanne Sprague sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.83, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 8,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,063,885.88. This trade represents a 15.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,076 shares of company stock worth $6,871,496 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ:CME traded down $2.20 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $260.33. 2,477,098 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,146,103. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.43. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $190.70 and a 52 week high of $273.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm's 50 day moving average is $257.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $240.65.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. On average, equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.92%. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is 51.71%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on CME shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $269.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on CME Group from $263.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of CME Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $287.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $247.47.

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.