CME Group Inc. $CME Stock Acquired by Walter Public Investments Inc.

Walter Public Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 60.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 38,044 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,389 shares during the quarter. CME Group makes up 2.4% of Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $9,967,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in CME Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $612,000. Focus Financial Network Inc. bought a new position in CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,513,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company bought a new position in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $53,671,000. Haverford Trust Co bought a new position in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $13,818,000. Finally, Bowie Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $22,991,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $315.86 on Thursday. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $218.31 and a 12 month high of $329.16. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $284.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $281.22. The firm has a market cap of $113.06 billion, a PE ratio of 25.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.03. CME Group had a net margin of 63.33% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on CME shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on CME Group from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price objective (up from $295.00) on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded CME Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 31st. CLSA set a $367.00 price objective on CME Group in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on CME Group from $337.00 to $359.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $314.44.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 2,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $303.00, for a total value of $606,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 19,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,021,519. The trade was a 9.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel G. Kaye sold 532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.17, for a total value of $161,818.44. Following the sale, the director owned 4,313 shares in the company, valued at $1,311,885.21. The trade was a 10.98% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 33,511 shares of company stock worth $9,714,580. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group operates a global marketplace for derivatives and other financial products. Through its exchanges—CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX—it offers futures and options contracts tied to interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. The company also provides clearing and settlement services, market data and related products. Its electronic trading platform, CME Globex, supports access to its markets by participants around the world, alongside its open-outcry and privately negotiated trading services.