Wells Fargo & Company MN Sells 56,424 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Wells Fargo & Company MN decreased its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 6.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 862,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 56,424 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned 0.24% of CME Group worth $200,322,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its holdings in CME Group by 570.6% in 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. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 188.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its position in CME Group by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Knuff & Co LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Up 1.2 %

CME traded up $3.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $261.54. 2,756,965 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,136,648. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $273.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $94.25 billion, a PE ratio of 27.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $255.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $239.10. 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 (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 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%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This is a boost 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 analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $269.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. 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 note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on CME Group from $263.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $247.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of CME Group 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 21,873 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,686,980. This trade represents a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,453,085.45. This represents a 34.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,076 shares of company stock worth $6,871,496 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

About CME Group

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.