CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by GQG Partners LLC

GQG Partners LLC decreased its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 98.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,356 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 2,044,609 shares during the quarter. GQG Partners LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $6,585,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Modern Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,676 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,823,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. ICW Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth $266,000. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 65,264 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $15,156,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of CME Group by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,243,090 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,952,273,000 after purchasing an additional 326,623 shares during the period. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 20.5% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 157,769 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $36,639,000 after purchasing an additional 26,790 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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CME Group Stock Up 0.1 %

NASDAQ CME traded up $0.37 on Friday, reaching $262.22. The company had a trading volume of 1,736,117 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,049,091. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $267.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $249.65 and a 200-day moving average of $235.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.49 billion, a PE ratio of 27.12, a P/E/G ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.53.

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

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group's payout ratio is 51.71%.

CME Group announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. Raymond James upgraded CME Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $287.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Erste Group Bank raised shares of CME Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on CME Group from $235.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.93.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, COO Suzanne Sprague sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.83, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 8,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,063,885.88. This trade represents a 15.73 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $2,888,378.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at $5,453,085.45. The trade was a 34.63 % 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 valued at $6,871,496 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

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.