Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Raises Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP lifted its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,491 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the quarter. Wakefield Asset Management LLLP’s holdings in CME Group were worth $293,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Gold Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in CME Group by 66.1% in the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in CME Group in the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,399,936.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,399,936.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CME has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Bank of America downgraded CME Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $212.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $209.73.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $220.50 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $79.39 billion, a PE ratio of 25.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.51 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $190.70 and a 12 month high of $223.80. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $203.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $207.59.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.30 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

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.