CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC cut its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 457 shares during the quarter. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,498,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in CME Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in CME Group by 66.1% during 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. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in CME Group by 515.2% in the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CME Group in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Sunday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total transaction of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Sunday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total transaction of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $218.30 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.84, a PEG ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $190.70 and a one year high of $223.80. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $209.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.41.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 56.98%. The business’s revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.30 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the subject of several analyst reports. TD Cowen assumed coverage on CME Group in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $221.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Tuesday, August 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on shares of CME Group in a research note on Friday. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $235.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of 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, seven have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $212.54.

CME Group 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.