Dupree Financial Group LLC Purchases 16,365 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Dupree Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 16,365 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,287,000. CME Group comprises about 1.1% of Dupree Financial Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,749,965,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in CME Group by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,144,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,408,747,000 after buying an additional 56,725 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 39.1% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,019,944 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,187,290,000 after buying an additional 1,130,587 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the second quarter worth approximately $867,313,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,074,773 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $839,659,000 after buying an additional 208,318 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Up 1.5%

CME opened at $280.56 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.80, a PEG ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $272.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.26. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $218.31 and a twelve month high of $329.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. CME Group had a net margin of 63.30% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CME Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on CME Group in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $301.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on CME Group from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.06.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, CEO Terrence Duffy sold 15,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.44, for a total value of $4,116,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 40,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,150,497.20. The trade was a 26.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Cook sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total value of $140,055.00. Following the sale, the director owned 17,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,018,450.76. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.