CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Sold by Checchi Capital Advisers LLC

Checchi Capital Advisers LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,295 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 40 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,459,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its stake in CME Group by 206.9% during the 2nd quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 89 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 84.3% during the 2nd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 122.2% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 612.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of CME opened at $264.67 on Friday. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $213.94 and a 52-week high of $290.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $269.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.13. The stock has a market cap of $95.38 billion, a PE ratio of 25.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 0.41.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.05. CME Group had a net margin of 58.48% and a return on equity of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.56 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 9th. CME Group’s payout ratio is 48.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CME. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, July 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $303.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $246.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $283.00 to $296.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $274.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director William R. Shepard bought 262 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $265.19 per share, with a total value of $69,479.78. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 258,459 shares in the company, valued at $68,540,742.21. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 392 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total transaction of $102,704.00. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 7,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,056,962. This trade represents a 4.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,043 shares of company stock worth $3,527,956. 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.