47,305 CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Acquired by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 12.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 421,421 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 47,305 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in CME Group were worth $110,404,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brookmont Capital Management boosted its position in CME Group by 0.6% during the third quarter. Brookmont Capital Management now owns 5,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 1,297 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position 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 worth $1,320,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Intrua Financial LLC raised its holdings in CME Group by 3.0% during the third quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $350,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. lifted its position in CME Group by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 968 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $305.89 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $283.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $280.79. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $218.31 and a 52-week high of $329.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $109.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.15.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.33% and a return on equity of 16.23%. CME Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.68 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.34 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on CME shares. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CME Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Bank of America increased their price target on CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on CME Group from $337.00 to $359.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on CME Group from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $314.44.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, insider Sunil Cutinho sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.70, for a total transaction of $1,493,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,037 shares in the company, valued at $5,985,051.90. The trade was a 19.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Julie Winkler sold 10,079 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.15, for a total value of $3,075,606.85. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,482 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,555,232.30. The trade was a 31.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 32,979 shares of company stock worth $9,552,762. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group operates a global marketplace for derivatives and other financial products. Through its exchanges—CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX—it offers futures and options contracts tied to interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals.

The company also provides clearing and settlement services, market data and related products. Its electronic trading platform, CME Globex, supports access to its markets by participants around the world, alongside its open-outcry and privately negotiated trading services.

CME Group was formed in 2007 through the merger of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade, institutions with roots in the 19th century.