Auto Owners Insurance Co Acquires 533,005 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Auto Owners Insurance Co increased its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 27,208.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 534,964 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 533,005 shares during the period. Auto Owners Insurance Co’s holdings in CME Group were worth $14,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in CME Group by 11.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,660,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 103.1% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,692 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,018,000 after buying an additional 121,707 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in CME Group by 1,325.2% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 23,572 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $6,497,000 after buying an additional 21,918 shares during the period. Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in CME Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $992,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in CME Group by 2.6% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 287,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $79,344,000 after buying an additional 7,397 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME Group stock opened at $246.38 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $279.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $287.21. 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 Inc. has a twelve month low of $244.56 and a twelve month high of $329.16. The company has a market capitalization of $89.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.21.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. The trade was a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total value of $1,752,536.39. Following the transaction, the insider owned 27,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This represents a 17.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CME shares. TD Cowen reduced their price target on CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded CME Group from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $316.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.18.

Trending Headlines about CME Group

Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CME continues to be highlighted as a dividend and value stock, with analysts noting its strong capital returns, electronic trading growth, and global product expansion could support a long-term rebound. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: One market note said CME may be undervalued after the CEO succession announcement, suggesting the stock could have upside if investors view the leadership transition as orderly. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CME named longtime finance chief Julie Winkler as its next CEO, while Terry Duffy will step into an executive chairman role; the move appears planned and may reduce uncertainty, but it also marks a major leadership change. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also taking legal action against the CFTC over approval of perpetual crypto futures, arguing the products should be treated as swaps rather than futures. The case could affect CME’s role in crypto derivatives, but the financial impact is still uncertain. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs kept a Sell rating on CME and trimmed its price target, citing leadership transition risk and regulatory uncertainty, which may be weighing on sentiment. Article Title

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world’s largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company’s core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.