Mariner LLC Boosts Stock Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Mariner LLC grew its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 22.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 342,166 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 62,727 shares during the period. Mariner LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $93,436,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CME. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 64.9% in the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its holdings in CME Group by 191.9% in the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on CME shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on CME Group from $275.00 to $267.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded CME Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $329.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen decreased their price target on CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, UBS Group restated an “overweight” rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Monday. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $305.71.

CME Group Stock Down 1.3%

NASDAQ:CME opened at $266.08 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $284.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $288.08. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $244.56 and a 52 week high of $329.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.21.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.77 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.