Good Life Advisors LLC Takes Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Good Life Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,128 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $469,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oak Harvest Investment Services grew its position in CME Group by 66.5% during the first quarter. Oak Harvest Investment Services now owns 45,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,708,000 after buying an additional 18,017 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 21.2% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 48,205 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,477,000 after buying an additional 8,443 shares during the last quarter. Duality Advisers LP purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the first quarter worth about $1,455,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 312.2% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 56,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,222,000 after acquiring an additional 42,996 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in CME Group by 429.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 47,521 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,231,000 after acquiring an additional 38,540 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ:CME opened at $228.32 on Friday. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $230.12. The company has a market capitalization of $82.21 billion, a PE ratio of 25.97, a P/E/G ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $216.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $208.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its earnings results 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 net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.30 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. CME Group’s payout ratio is 52.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,504.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 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 directly owns 55,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CME. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $228.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $220.07.

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.