CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Ritholtz Wealth Management

Ritholtz Wealth Management lessened its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 13.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,618 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 545 shares during the quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in CME Group were worth $798,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CME. Guinness Asset Management LTD grew its holdings in CME Group by 4.6% during the third quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 983,704 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $216,956,000 after acquiring an additional 43,061 shares during the period. First Affirmative Financial Network grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 20.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 2,092 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $462,000 after purchasing an additional 362 shares during the period. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 267.1% in the 3rd quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 2,816 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 2,049 shares during the period. Finally, Matrix Trust Co boosted its holdings in CME Group by 1.8% during the third quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 8,156 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,800,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director now owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CME. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. TD Cowen began coverage on CME Group in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. They set a “hold” rating and a $221.00 target price on the stock. Redburn Atlantic cut shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $228.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CME Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $219.53.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $224.20 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $80.73 billion, a PE ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $215.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $207.94. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $190.70 and a 12 month high of $226.78.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.03. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 56.98%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.05%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 52.33%.

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.