CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Stake Reduced by Capital Counsel LLC NY

Capital Counsel LLC NY reduced its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 825,560 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 3,764 shares during the quarter. CME Group makes up approximately 8.2% of Capital Counsel LLC NY's portfolio, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Capital Counsel LLC NY owned 0.23% of CME Group worth $191,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 570.6% in the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 120.3% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Price Performance

CME Group stock traded down $6.32 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $259.24. The stock had a trading volume of 1,879,540 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,149,453. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $273.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.81, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.43. The stock's fifty day moving average is $257.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.07. 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 (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.61 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. As a group, analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.71%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $2,600,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 21,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,686,980. This represents a 31.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 27,076 shares of company stock valued at $6,871,496 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup downgraded CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $200.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on CME Group from $269.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.