Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Boosts Stock Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 138.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 38,019 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,046 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in CME Group were worth $10,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 2nd quarter worth $1,571,447,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 185.5% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,244,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $330,182,000 after acquiring an additional 808,740 shares during the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group in the second quarter valued at about $164,648,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in CME Group by 1.5% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 35,176,376 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,695,313,000 after purchasing an additional 532,549 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in CME Group by 1,927.1% during the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 521,218 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $138,274,000 after purchasing an additional 495,505 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CME Group news, Director William R. Shepard acquired 262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $265.19 per share, for a total transaction of $69,479.78. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 258,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $68,540,742.21. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total transaction of $263,530.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,511.23. This trade represents a 47.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $273.74 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business’s 50 day moving average is $272.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.03. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $224.62 and a 52-week high of $290.79. The firm has a market cap of $98.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.28.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.61% and a net margin of 58.84%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.68 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on CME. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on CME Group from $313.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 10th. Bank of America increased their price objective on CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on CME Group from $309.00 to $307.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on CME Group from $312.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $290.47.

About CME Group

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.