Principal Securities Inc. Has $1.67 Million Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Principal Securities Inc. boosted its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 36.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,194 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,919 shares during the quarter. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,769 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. increased its stake in CME Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 592 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $137,000 after buying an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,362 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $549,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network increased its stake in CME Group by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 2,141 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $497,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total transaction of $2,888,378.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,453,085.45. This trade represents a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME stock traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $248.88. 1,769,890 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,808,714. The firm has a market capitalization of $89.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.74, a PEG ratio of 6.83 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.01. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $236.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $227.00. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $190.70 and a 52 week high of $253.53.

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

CME Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Thursday, December 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to buy up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group's payout ratio is currently 47.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CME has been the topic of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $257.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup lowered shares of CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $235.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $236.13.

CME Group Company 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.