CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd

GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd trimmed its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 11.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,922,591 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 389,907 shares during the quarter. CME Group accounts for approximately 11.0% of GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its largest holding. GUARDCAP ASSET MANAGEMENT Ltd owned about 0.81% of CME Group worth $678,713,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 108.7% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 12,390 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,949,000 after purchasing an additional 6,453 shares in the last quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. purchased a new stake in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $6,144,000. Spire Wealth Management grew its position in CME Group by 37.4% during the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,320 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 359 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc increased its holdings in CME Group by 19.3% in the fourth quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 326,098 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $75,730,000 after buying an additional 52,862 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Unified Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $503,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

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CME Group Trading Down 0.3 %

CME stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $261.85. The stock had a trading volume of 1,892,901 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,935,577. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $190.70 and a 12-month high of $267.91. The firm has a market cap of $94.36 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.53. The company's 50-day moving average price is $249.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $235.32. 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 (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 EPS 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 predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 5th that permits the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

CME Group Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, COO Suzanne Sprague sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.83, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 8,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,063,885.88. This represents a 15.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 3,984 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.47, for a total transaction of $997,872.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 27,046 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,774,211.62. This trade represents a 12.84 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have purchased 84 shares of company stock worth $19,624 and have sold 27,076 shares worth $6,871,496. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on CME Group from $256.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. 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 report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of CME Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded 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 report on Monday, March 10th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $238.93.

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.