Plato Investment Management Ltd Raises Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Plato Investment Management Ltd lifted its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,390 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in CME Group were worth $3,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CME. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 21.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 48,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,477,000 after acquiring an additional 8,443 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 429.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 47,521 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,231,000 after purchasing an additional 38,540 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management increased its holdings in CME Group by 12.2% in the second quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 30,555 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,156,000 after buying an additional 3,325 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in CME Group by 16.1% in the first quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 371,849 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $80,055,000 after buying an additional 51,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in CME Group by 4.7% in the first quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 99,947 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $21,518,000 after buying an additional 4,454 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $228.14 on Thursday. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $190.70 and a 52 week high of $230.36. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $222.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $210.04. The company has a market cap of $82.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.99, a PEG ratio of 5.69 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 48.37%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.92, for a total value of $89,168.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 25,067 shares in the company, valued at $5,587,935.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other CME Group news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the sale, the director now owns 55,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 400 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.92, for a total value of $89,168.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,587,935.64. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,621 shares of company stock valued at $3,441,063 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CME shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $235.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $219.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $221.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $224.47.

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.