CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Sold by Sarasin & Partners LLP

Sarasin & Partners LLP reduced its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,092,937 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 32,308 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for approximately 3.1% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Sarasin & Partners LLP owned approximately 0.30% of CME Group worth $298,459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CME. Caldwell Trust Co grew its position in shares of CME Group by 116.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1,250.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new stake in CME Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME opened at $307.32 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $110.82 billion, a PE ratio of 27.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.24. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $248.53 and a 52-week high of $329.16. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $300.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $280.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $0.02. CME Group had a net margin of 62.45% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.52 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is 46.59%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total value of $1,300,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,007 shares in the company, valued at $13,317,117.55. This trade represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total value of $1,097,120.67. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 7,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,397,597.04. The trade was a 31.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,539 shares of company stock valued at $2,713,821. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CME Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 (annualized $5.20), a payout increase that supports yield-focused holders and signals confidence in cash generation. See company summary. MarketBeat: CME summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed — several firms have raised price targets and ratings (Jefferies, Weiss, Erste), while others remain cautious or underweight (JPMorgan, Goldman). The consensus view is close to a “Hold” with a median target near the current price, producing offsetting pressure on the stock. See analyst roundup. MarketBeat: analyst notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest notices published this week show zero shares/days-to-cover, which appears to be a data error (NaN/inconsistent reporting) and should not be treated as a meaningful change in market sentiment. No reliable short-squeeze signal. (No credible link — data feed report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains high and activity is mixed: large buy and sell moves by different funds have been reported in recent filings, so institutional flow is not clearly one-directional. MarketBeat: institutional activity
• Negative Sentiment: Senior management insider selling: General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares (around $1.1M) on March 17, reducing his holding by ~31%. Multiple recent insider sales by executives have been highlighted by data aggregators, which can weigh on sentiment even if sales are routine or for diversification. InsiderTrades: Marcus sale

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $262.00 to $266.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $310.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $304.06.

CME Group Profile

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.