BOS Asset Management LLC Acquires 1,887 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

BOS Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 1,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $494,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Paragon Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the third quarter worth $674,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its holdings in CME Group by 61.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 170,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,674,000 after buying an additional 64,815 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Management Inc. purchased a new position in CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $707,000. Acropolis Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at about $581,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 0.8% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 5,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME traded up $2.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $278.91. 1,027,292 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,524,912. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $271.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.19. The firm has a market cap of $100.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.66, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.24. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $218.31 and a twelve month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 63.30%.The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities 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 was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on CME shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on CME Group from $267.00 to $245.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CME Group from $249.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $292.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $292.06.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director William Shepard bought 293 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $268.76 per share, with a total value of $78,746.68. Following the purchase, the director owned 263,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,761,551.64. This represents a 0.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Elizabeth Cook sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total transaction of $140,055.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,916 shares in the company, valued at $5,018,450.76. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that enable customers to manage risk and trade futures and options contracts. Its exchanges offer products linked to interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy, metals and other asset classes.

The company also provides central counterparty clearing, settlement and related risk-management services for transactions conducted on its markets. In addition, CME Group offers market data, benchmark products and technology services that support trading, analysis and connectivity for financial institutions, businesses, professional traders and other market participants.

CME Group’s history includes the Chicago Board of Trade, founded in 1848, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, established in 1898.