CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Wedmont Private Capital

Wedmont Private Capital cut its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 5.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 140 shares during the quarter. Wedmont Private Capital’s holdings in CME Group were worth $477,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CME. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 86.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,154,000 after acquiring an additional 2,675 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 151,310 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,295,000 after acquiring an additional 5,442 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 88,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,810,000 after acquiring an additional 2,037 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the third quarter worth $321,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 8.2% in the third quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 43,432 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $8,696,000 after buying an additional 3,302 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $194.48 on Friday. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $177.97 and a fifty-two week high of $223.80. The business has a 50-day moving average of $206.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $209.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.13, a P/E/G ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.45% and a net margin of 56.84%. The company had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.42 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on CME shares. Barclays raised their target price on CME Group from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut CME Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $206.00 to $187.00 in a research report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price objective (down previously from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on CME Group from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CME Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $215.90.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 7,140 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.35, for a total value of $1,501,899.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 29,256 shares in the company, valued at $6,153,999.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total value of $586,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at $1,399,936.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 7,140 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.35, for a total value of $1,501,899.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 29,256 shares in the company, valued at $6,153,999.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 54,290 shares of company stock worth $11,393,700. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.