Kentucky Retirement Systems Reduces Stock Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Kentucky Retirement Systems reduced its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 5.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,339 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,464 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in CME Group were worth $5,886,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CME. Second Half Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $2,737,000. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $1,823,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its position in CME Group by 2.3% in the 1st 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 buying an additional 23,340 shares during the period. Bluefin Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,891,000. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp boosted its position in CME Group by 81.4% in the 1st quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 44,534 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,588,000 after buying an additional 19,985 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded up $1.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $200.54. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,259,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,521,588. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $190.70 and a 52 week high of $223.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $72.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $199.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.00.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. CME Group’s revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.30 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 9.8 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CME has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective 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. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of CME Group from $195.00 to $193.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of CME Group from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $212.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 7,140 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.35, for a total transaction of $1,501,899.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 29,256 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,153,999.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,226,934.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 7,140 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.35, for a total transaction of $1,501,899.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,256 shares in the company, valued at $6,153,999.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 54,290 shares of company stock worth $11,393,700 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CME Group 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.