Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 3,135 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 224.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,531 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,135 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $959,260,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC purchased a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $253,563,000. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of CME Group by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,589,867 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,072,654,000 after purchasing an additional 1,172,575 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of CME Group by 31.5% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,858,967 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $972,863,000 after purchasing an additional 1,163,103 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $113,772,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total transaction of $8,436,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at $14,226,934.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total transaction of $8,436,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at $14,226,934.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 7,140 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.35, for a total value of $1,501,899.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,153,999.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, 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

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Argus boosted their price objective on CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on CME Group from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $215.90.

CME Group Trading Up 0.5 %

CME stock traded up $1.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $196.60. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,819,010 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,886,610. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $205.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.87. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $180.11 and a 1 year high of $223.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.24, a PEG ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 0.52.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.42 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.75 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. 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.