CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 548,248 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 44,875 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.15% of CME Group worth $115,461,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in CME Group by 966.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in CME Group during the third quarter worth about $37,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $215.96. 571,821 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,760,591. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $214.59 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.89. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.73 and a 1-year high of $223.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.29, a PEG ratio of 6.04 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.10. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.32% and a net margin of 57.83%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.92 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 9.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.13%. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price 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 upped their target price on CME Group from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a “market perform” rating and set a $229.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (down previously from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $215.70.

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.