Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Grows Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 33.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 105,960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 26,536 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $22,812,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Second Half Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at $2,737,000. Naples Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,823,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in CME Group by 2.3% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 1,041,526 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $224,230,000 after acquiring an additional 23,340 shares during the period. Finally, Bluefin Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,891,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a “sell” rating and set a $187.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America lifted their target price on CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $210.00 target price (down from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, April 5th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and issued a $226.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on CME Group from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $215.90.

CME Group Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $196.40. 3,458,862 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,391,518. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $180.11 and a 1 year high of $223.80. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $203.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $208.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

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

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. CME Group’s payout ratio is 52.33%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director now owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at $1,399,936.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Terry L. Savage sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.65, for a total value of $526,625.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,441 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,673,946.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction 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 approximately $1,399,936.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 54,290 shares of company stock worth $11,393,700. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.