Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Has $14.23 Million Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 7.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 67,565 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,874 shares during the quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $14,229,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 966.7% in the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Atticus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1,233.3% during the 4th quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 200 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME traded up $3.50 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $211.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,708,217 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,786,597. The firm has a market cap of $76.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.10, a PEG ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 0.48. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $213.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.42. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $175.73 and a one year high of $223.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.45% and a net margin of 56.84%. CME Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.42 earnings per share. On average, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group’s payout ratio is 52.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on CME shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CME Group from $198.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays boosted their price target on CME Group from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Rosenblatt Securities reiterated a “sell” rating and set a $187.00 price objective (up previously from $185.00) on shares of CME Group 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 assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $217.80.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total value of $8,436,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,226,934.05. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.