CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. lessened its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 5.6% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,839 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 226 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $826,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CME. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $275,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at $86,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 76.2% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 40,006 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,425,000 after purchasing an additional 17,302 shares during the period. Trust Co of the South bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, Columbia Trust Co 01012016 acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $250,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded up $1.16 on Friday, hitting $200.54. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,259,506 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,521,588. The company has a market capitalization of $72.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.61 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $190.70 and a 12 month high of $223.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $199.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.93.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. CME Group’s revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.30 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 9.79 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were issued 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 2.29%. CME Group’s payout ratio is 52.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CME has been the topic of several research reports. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $187.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays increased their price target on CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $212.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total value of $586,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,399,936.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 7,140 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.35, for a total transaction of $1,501,899.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 29,256 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,153,999.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 54,290 shares of company stock worth $11,393,700 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Company 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.