GoalVest Advisory LLC Sells 65 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

GoalVest Advisory LLC lessened its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 32.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 135 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 65 shares during the quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $29,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gold Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 966.7% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total value of $586,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,399,936.72. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,399,936.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total value of $8,436,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,226,934.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 54,290 shares of company stock worth $11,393,700 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME Group stock opened at $195.20 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $177.98 and a 1 year high of $223.80. The company has a market cap of $70.29 billion, a PE ratio of 22.21, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s 50-day moving average is $206.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $208.97.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.84% and a return on equity of 12.45%. CME Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.42 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 9.75 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is 52.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CME. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $210.00 price target (down previously from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underweight” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $206.00 to $187.00 in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $215.90.

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.