Capital Wealth Planning LLC Boosts Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 69.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,435,823 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 996,498 shares during the period. CME Group makes up 5.2% of Capital Wealth Planning LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Capital Wealth Planning LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $565,671,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in CME Group by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 17,380 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,036,000 after purchasing an additional 740 shares during the period. West Michigan Advisors LLC grew its position in CME Group by 9.1% in the 4th quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 7,784 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,852,000 after purchasing an additional 648 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $243,000. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $1,024,000. Finally, Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its position in CME Group by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 9,435 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,191,000 after purchasing an additional 737 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $2,888,378.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,453,085.45. The trade was a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 3,984 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.47, for a total value of $997,872.48. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 27,046 shares in the company, valued at $6,774,211.62. This represents a 12.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $235.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Citigroup downgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $236.13.

CME Group Trading Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ CME opened at $253.77 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.57. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $190.70 and a one year high of $254.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business’s fifty day moving average is $238.42 and its 200-day moving average is $229.07.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.06. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 57.52%. Equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, December 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 51.71%.

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.