Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. Boosts Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. raised its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 47.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,997 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 6,761 shares during the quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $4,876,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CME. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 570.6% during the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group during the third quarter worth $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in CME Group by 188.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 120.3% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Trading Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ:CME traded down $2.43 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $248.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,248,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,809,892. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $236.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $226.85. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $190.70 and a twelve month high of $253.53. The stock has a market cap of $89.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.68, a P/E/G ratio of 6.77 and a beta of 0.57.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.45 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 47.57%.

CME Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $250.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup lowered CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note 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 note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $236.13.

Insider Activity at CME Group

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

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.