Aviso Financial Inc. Boosts Stock Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Aviso Financial Inc. raised its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,966 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,056 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $5,333,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Madison Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $24,798,000. Impact Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in CME Group by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 67,357 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,642,000 after buying an additional 3,644 shares during the last quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ boosted its position in CME Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 74,261 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,194,000 after buying an additional 1,543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in CME Group by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 18,486 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,293,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup downgraded CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on CME Group from $235.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays raised their target price on CME Group from $257.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $287.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $238.93.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at $5,453,085.45. This represents a 34.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Suzanne Sprague sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $256.83, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 8,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,063,885.88. The trade was a 15.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,076 shares of company stock worth $4,271,496 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $259.84 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $93.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.87, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.53. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $263.65. 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 has a 50-day moving average of $242.28 and a 200-day moving average of $231.97.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.06. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 57.52%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.71%.

CME Group announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.