Ascension Asset Management LLC Has $1.98 Million Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Ascension Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 0.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 75 shares during the period. Ascension Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,982,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the second quarter worth about $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 66.1% during the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Price Performance

NASDAQ:CME opened at $218.30 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.60 billion, a PE ratio of 24.84, a P/E/G ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $223.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $209.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.50. 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 (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.30 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 9.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, 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 transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the business’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 transaction of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,504.39. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CME has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Bank of America cut CME Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $212.00 to $177.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada began coverage on CME Group in a report on Friday. They issued a “sector perform” rating and a $235.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen began coverage on CME Group in a report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating and a $221.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.