International Assets Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

International Assets Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 98.6% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,892 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 130,997 shares during the quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CME. Second Half Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $2,737,000. Naples Global Advisors LLC raised its holdings in CME Group by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,823,000. Bluefin Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,891,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,074,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

CME Group stock opened at $195.08 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.24 billion, a PE ratio of 22.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.25 and a beta of 0.52. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $177.97 and a 12 month high of $223.80. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $206.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $209.09.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.84% and a return on equity of 12.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.72 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.33%.

Insider Activity

In other CME Group news, Director Daniel R. Glickman sold 650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.44, for a total value of $130,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,821,771.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total value of $586,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,399,936.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Daniel R. Glickman sold 650 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.44, for a total value of $130,936.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,821,771.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 54,290 shares of company stock valued at $11,393,700 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on CME shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on CME Group from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Argus raised their price target on CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price target (down previously from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $215.90.

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.