Czech National Bank Acquires 4,778 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 78,133 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,778 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in CME Group were worth $18,145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. 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 period. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in CME Group by 11.8% in the third quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 436 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. grew its position in CME Group by 3.7% in the third quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,530 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in CME Group by 10.2% in the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 593 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $131,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in CME Group by 1.3% in the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 4,276 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $943,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME stock traded up $2.28 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $231.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,427,823 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,010,376. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $249.02. The company has a market cap of $83.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.37, a PEG ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm's 50-day moving average is $232.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $219.36.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.34% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The business's revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.25 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th will be given a dividend of $5.80 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 27th. This is a boost from CME Group's previous dividend of $2.50. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.37%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup downgraded shares of CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $235.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of CME Group from $260.00 to $256.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $229.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Timothy Francis Mccourt sold 1,374 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $312,062.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,275 shares in the company, valued at $1,652,298. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Timothy S. Bitsberger sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.96, for a total transaction of $226,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,589 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,403,279.44. The trade was a 8.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 7,274 shares of company stock worth $1,648,071 in the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.