Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC Has $149,000 Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 98.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 641 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 55,269 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $149,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC increased its position in CME Group by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Knuff & Co LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 120.3% during 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 during the period. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $265.56 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $95.70 billion, a PE ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.43. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $257.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $241.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.01. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $190.70 and a 52-week high of $273.42.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group's payout ratio is currently 51.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $2,888,378.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,453,085.45. This trade represents a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 21,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,686,980. The trade was a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 27,076 shares of company stock worth $6,871,496. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CME shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective 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, February 14th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $269.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised CME Group from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $301.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised shares of CME Group to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $247.47.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.