CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Stake Lifted by Saxon Interests Inc.

Saxon Interests Inc. raised its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 10.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,009 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 459 shares during the quarter. Saxon Interests Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,078,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CME. Second Half Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,737,000. Naples Global Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the fourth quarter worth about $1,823,000. Bluefin Capital Management LLC bought a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,891,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,074,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Up 0.8 %

NASDAQ CME traded up $1.58 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $197.08. 4,672,405 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,924,631. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $180.11 and a 12 month high of $223.80. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $204.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $208.48. The company has a market capitalization of $70.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.40, a PEG ratio of 5.18 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.45% and a net margin of 56.84%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.42 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.75 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CME shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Argus raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $187.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $215.90.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total value of $8,436,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,226,934.05. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total value of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,399,936.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total transaction of $8,436,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,226,934.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 54,290 shares of company stock worth $11,393,700 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.