Simmons Bank Lowers Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Simmons Bank decreased its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,490 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 476 shares during the period. Simmons Bank’s holdings in CME Group were worth $3,473,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in CME Group in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 966.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Atticus Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 1,233.3% during the fourth quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME traded up $0.34 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $208.34. 2,130,585 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,787,588. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $175.73 and a 1 year high of $223.80. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $213.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $211.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 0.48.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.44 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 56.84% and a return on equity of 12.45%. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s payout ratio is 52.33%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total transaction of $8,436,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 67,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,226,934.05. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on CME shares. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $187.00 price target (up from $185.00) on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price target (down previously from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $198.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $217.80.

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.