Principal Financial Group Inc. Buys 42,487 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 452,840 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 42,487 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $123,662,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the third quarter worth about $1,006,932,000. Strive Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $636,487,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. lifted its stake in CME Group by 107.2% in the 3rd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,502,752 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $406,029,000 after acquiring an additional 777,571 shares in the last quarter. Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new position in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $164,648,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in CME Group by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 35,895,583 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,802,366,000 after acquiring an additional 588,509 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.90, for a total value of $91,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 24,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,647,194.10. This trade represents a 1.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total value of $1,300,530.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 43,007 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,317,117.55. This represents a 8.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 8,539 shares of company stock valued at $2,713,821 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on CME shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of CME Group from $343.00 to $316.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $295.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, April 26th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $310.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.29.

Key Stories Impacting CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME executed first trades in newly launched Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI) futures, showing immediate client uptake for additional crypto products and potential new fee streams. CME Group Announces First Trades of New Avalanche and Sui Cryptocurrency Futures
• Positive Sentiment: CME plans to launch CFTC‑regulated Bitcoin Volatility futures on June 1 (pending review), giving institutions an on‑shore tool to trade implied BTC volatility — a differentiated product that can attract options/volatility flow and increase non‑trade revenues. CME Group to Launch Bitcoin Volatility Futures Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: CME launched the U.S. dollar RepoFunds Rate benchmark (RFR USD), expanding market data and benchmark offerings that can generate subscription/licensing revenue and strengthen institutional ties. CME Group Launches New Benchmark to Track Overnight Funding Costs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry commentary highlight exchanges (including CME) as beneficiaries of rising crypto adoption, higher trading volumes, and diversification into data/technology services — supportive for longer‑term multiple expansion. 5 Stocks to Watch From the Prospering Securities & Exchanges Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Crypto market moves (e.g., renewed Bitcoin strength) can lift CME volumes and open interest, indirectly supporting revenues — but the magnitude depends on sustained retail/institutional flow. Bitcoin (BTC) Surges to $81,300
• Negative Sentiment: Some headlines noted a short‑term dip in CME shares following the Bitcoin volatility futures announcement, reflecting profit‑taking and investor caution around new product execution and regulatory timing. CME Group (CME) Stock Dips Ahead of Bitcoin Volatility Futures Debut in June

CME Group Trading Up 0.5%

NASDAQ CME opened at $288.34 on Thursday. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $257.17 and a 12 month high of $329.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $302.15 and a 200-day moving average of $287.14. The company has a market cap of $104.48 billion, a PE ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.23.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 44.37%.

About CME Group

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.