Maryland State Retirement & Pension System reduced its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,304 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,240 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System's holdings in CME Group were worth $4,483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in CME Group by 570.6% in the fourth quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 188.4% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC purchased a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
CME Group Price Performance
Shares of NASDAQ CME traded down $0.41 during trading on Monday, hitting $262.94. The company had a trading volume of 2,131,559 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,929,391. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $190.70 and a fifty-two week high of $267.91. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $246.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $234.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $94.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.53.
CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 57.52%. On average, research analysts expect 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 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 is Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. This is a positive change from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.71%.
CME Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Raymond James raised 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. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $250.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup cut shares of CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on CME Group from $235.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.93.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on CME
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 3,984 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.47, for a total transaction of $997,872.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 27,046 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,774,211.62. This trade represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, 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 a total of 27,076 shares of company stock valued at $6,871,496 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.
CME Group Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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