CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Stake Raised by FIL Ltd

FIL Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,081,391 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 61,908 shares during the period. CME Group comprises approximately 0.9% of FIL Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. FIL Ltd owned 1.13% of CME Group worth $947,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Canopy Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Twin Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,634 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,166,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 83,014 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $18,929,000 after purchasing an additional 10,097 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 3,094 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co increased its stake in CME Group by 13.9% in the fourth quarter. Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co now owns 110,611 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,687,000 after purchasing an additional 13,500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

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CME Group Stock Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ CME traded up $3.15 on Friday, hitting $261.54. 2,756,965 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,138,864. The company has a market capitalization of $94.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.43. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $255.22 and a 200 day moving average of $239.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $190.70 and a twelve month high of $273.42.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. As a group, analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of CME Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $301.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $269.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Raymond James raised shares of CME Group from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $287.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given 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, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $247.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $2,600,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,873 shares in the company, valued at $5,686,980. This represents a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total transaction of $2,888,378.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at $5,453,085.45. This trade represents 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 quarter. Company 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.