Bowman & Co S.C. Buys 188 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Bowman & Co S.C. grew its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,612 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. CME Group makes up 1.0% of Bowman & Co S.C.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Bowman & Co S.C.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $2,000,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,561 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,523,000 after acquiring an additional 850 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its position in CME Group by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 57,990 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $13,467,000 after acquiring an additional 6,266 shares during the period. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,410 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $327,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. lifted its position in CME Group by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 17,682 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,106,000 after acquiring an additional 951 shares during the period. Finally, FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH purchased a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $201,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $231.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Monday, January 6th. Citigroup cut shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $221.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $229.27.

CME Group Trading Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ:CME opened at $232.71 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $83.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $233.29 and a 200-day moving average of $219.77. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $249.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. CME Group’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.2 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 27th were paid a $5.80 dividend. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous dividend of $2.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.37%.

CME Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Thursday, December 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to purchase up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Timothy Francis Mccourt sold 1,374 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total value of $312,062.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,652,298. The trade was a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $222.92, for a total value of $89,168.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,587,935.64. This trade represents a 1.57 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 7,274 shares of company stock valued at $1,648,071. 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.