IMS Capital Management Has $1.10 Million Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

IMS Capital Management decreased its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 6.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 332 shares during the period. IMS Capital Management’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $959,260,000. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of CME Group by 24.1% during the first quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 15,809,175 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,403,557,000 after acquiring an additional 3,069,806 shares during the last quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $253,563,000. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of CME Group by 8.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,589,867 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,072,654,000 after acquiring an additional 1,172,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&G Plc bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth $156,631,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their price objective on CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on CME Group from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $212.64.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 7,140 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 29,256 shares in the company, valued at $6,153,999.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,399,936.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 7,140 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of 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 ninety days, insiders sold 14,290 shares of company stock valued at $2,957,300. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of CME stock traded up $3.52 on Friday, hitting $199.83. 2,373,846 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,146,911. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $198.38 and a 200 day moving average of $206.99. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $190.70 and a fifty-two week high of $223.80.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 56.98%. CME Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.30 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 9.8 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.33%.

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.