Clearbridge Investments LLC Sells 4,305 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Clearbridge Investments LLC decreased its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 795,980 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 4,305 shares during the quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $171,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in CME Group by 20.4% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 40,094 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,028,000 after purchasing an additional 6,786 shares during the period. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC grew its position in CME Group by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $394,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Everhart Financial Group Inc. grew its position in CME Group by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,295 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in CME Group by 44.4% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 13,772 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,900,000 after purchasing an additional 4,235 shares during the period. Finally, Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $259,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director Daniel R. Glickman sold 650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.44, for a total value of $130,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,821,771.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Daniel R. Glickman sold 650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.44, for a total value of $130,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,821,771.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total value of $586,320.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at $1,399,936.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 54,290 shares of company stock worth $11,393,700. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (down from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, April 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of CME Group from $228.00 to $208.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $226.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, July 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $215.82.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME traded down $2.44 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $197.44. 2,175,344 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,962,732. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.64 and a beta of 0.52. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $188.36 and a 52 week high of $223.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $200.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.05.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.45% and a net margin of 56.84%. The company had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.42 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.77 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

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

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.