Brown Financial Advisors Purchases Shares of 3,276 CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Brown Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,276 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $644,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in CME Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the second quarter worth $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 66.1% during the second 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 last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 515.2% during the second 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 during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group in the first quarter valued at $41,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Down 0.8 %

CME opened at $223.57 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $80.50 billion, a PE ratio of 25.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $190.70 and a twelve month high of $225.95. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $211.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.30 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 52.33%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Sunday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total value of $163,610.46. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,877,504.39. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Sunday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total value of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,504.39. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on CME. TD Cowen initiated coverage on CME Group in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. They set a “hold” rating and a $221.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upped their price objective on CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, September 27th. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $235.00 price objective for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $212.54.

CME Group Company 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.