Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Boosts Holdings in CME Group Inc. $CME

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,370 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,765 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $17,830,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CME. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 64.9% in the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 2,075.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Trading Up 0.4%

CME stock opened at $255.31 on Friday. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $218.31 and a 12 month high of $329.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $254.13 and its 200 day moving average is $281.22. The company has a market capitalization of $92.51 billion, a PE ratio of 21.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.25. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.68 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.30% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.96 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.27 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 44.11%.

Key CME Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CME Group’s Q2 results topped expectations, and the stock was reported higher on the earnings beat. US Stock Market: CME shares jump 6% after Q2 profit beats estimates; strong hedging demand boosts results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts noted strong fundamentals and at least one rating upgrade following the earnings release, which can support investor confidence. CME Group: Q2 Earnings Results Lead To A Rating Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Hold rating and kept its $260 target, signaling solid fundamentals but limited upside at current valuation. Neutral Stance Reiterated on CME as Solid Fundamentals Meet Valuation Limits; $260 Price Target Maintained
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America and JPMorgan both maintained bearish/underweight views, even though they slightly raised price targets, highlighting ongoing caution about upside. Analyst price target updates
• Negative Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful short position, so this headline is unlikely to be a real stock driver and does not change the core thesis.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $267.00 to $245.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Bank of America upped their target price on CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut CME Group from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $291.81.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total value of $10,447,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. The trade was a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total value of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This trade represents a 17.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

About CME Group

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world’s largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company’s core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.