Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,881 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,134,000.
Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CME. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,769 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $411,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. lifted its stake in CME Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 592 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,362 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 437 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network lifted its stake in CME Group by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 2,141 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $497,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.
CME Group Stock Performance
NASDAQ CME traded down $3.19 on Friday, reaching $263.35. The stock had a trading volume of 7,238,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,928,580. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $246.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $234.22. The company has a market cap of $94.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.53. 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 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $267.91.
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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.06. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 57.52%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.
CME Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
CME Group Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.90%. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.71%.
Insider Activity
In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at $5,453,085.45. This represents a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 approximately $5,686,980. This represents a 31.37 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 27,076 shares of company stock worth $6,871,496. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
CME has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on CME Group from $256.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Barclays boosted their price target on CME Group from $257.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank raised CME Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on CME Group from $235.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price target on CME Group from $258.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $238.93.
Get Our Latest Report on CME Group
About CME Group
(
Free Report)
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.
Featured Stories
Before you consider CME Group, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and CME Group wasn't on the list.
While CME Group currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Options trading isn’t just for the Wall Street elite; it’s an accessible strategy for anyone armed with the proper knowledge. Think of options as a strategic toolkit, with each tool designed for a specific financial task. Get this report to learn how options trading can help you use the market’s volatility to your advantage.
Get This Free Report
