Empowered Funds LLC Boosts Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,990 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,987 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $2,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of CME Group by 9.3% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 51,255 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,309,000 after buying an additional 4,354 shares in the last quarter. Swedbank AB grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 0.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 71,050 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $15,677,000 after buying an additional 542 shares during the last quarter. Good Life Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the third quarter worth about $469,000. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1.4% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 51,724 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,413,000 after purchasing an additional 722 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1.9% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 51,949 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $11,463,000 after purchasing an additional 948 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded up $0.69 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $246.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 318,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,815,633. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.71 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89, a P/E/G ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.57. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $190.70 and a twelve month high of $253.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $236.12 and a 200 day moving average of $226.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 57.34% and a return on equity of 13.39%. On average, equities analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.37%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $257.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $234.13.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other CME Group news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 21,885 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,453,085.45. This trade represents a 34.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company 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.