Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Buys 2,159 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 102,106 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,159 shares during the quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $20,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gold Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in CME Group by 66.1% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 515.2% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CME. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Bank of America downgraded CME Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $212.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on CME Group from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Barclays raised their price objective on CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $209.73.

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CME opened at $213.16 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $190.70 and a fifty-two week high of $223.80. The firm has a market cap of $76.75 billion, a PE ratio of 24.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.85 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $207.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $207.36.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.03. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.30 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. CME Group’s payout ratio is presently 52.33%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Sunday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total value of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,877,504.39. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at $11,932,706.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.