3,724 Shares in CME Group Inc. $CME Purchased by Whalen Wealth Management Inc.

Whalen Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,724 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,026,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CME. Diversified Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth about $278,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 612.5% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 8.8% in the first quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,925 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $511,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares during the period. Spinnaker Trust acquired a new position in CME Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in CME Group by 1.4% in the first quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,522 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $934,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of CME opened at $266.33 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $213.94 and a one year high of $290.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $95.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $266.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $272.08.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.61% and a net margin of 58.84%.The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. CME Group’s payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director William R. Shepard purchased 262 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $265.19 per share, for a total transaction of $69,479.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 258,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $68,540,742.21. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 392 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total value of $102,704.00. Following the sale, the general counsel owned 7,851 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,056,962. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 13,043 shares of company stock valued at $3,527,956 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CME shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, July 13th. Citigroup raised CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $275.00 to $300.00 in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on CME Group from $312.00 to $314.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on CME Group from $262.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on CME Group from $309.00 to $307.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $284.53.

CME Group Company 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.