CME Group Inc. $CME Stock Position Reduced by Motley Fool Asset Management LLC

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 25,178 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,914 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $6,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 2,075.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. First Community Trust NA purchased a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH purchased a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Mowery & Schoenfeld Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Main Street Group LTD acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $294.04 on Thursday. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $218.31 and a 12-month high of $329.16. The stock has a market cap of $105.73 billion, a PE ratio of 24.12, a P/E/G ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a 50-day moving average of $279.10 and a 200 day moving average of $279.65.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.33% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.68 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price target (up from $295.00) on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $292.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $313.29.

Key Headlines Impacting CME Group

Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record futures volume is improving sentiment toward CME Group. The company recently reported record third-quarter revenue of approximately $1.74 billion and record average daily volume of 29.4 million contracts, while October activity was tracking at the strongest October level on record. The combination of elevated market volatility and strong trading activity makes CME’s earnings outlook more compelling. CME Group Looks Better Valued As Record Real Futures Volume Lifts Sentiment
• Positive Sentiment: CME Group’s Brazilian real futures set a record for daily volume following Brazil’s election, highlighting demand for the company’s currency products during periods of political and foreign-exchange volatility. CME Group Brazilian Real Futures Set New Daily Volume Record Following Election
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded CME to a Rank #2, or “Buy,” citing improving earnings prospects. Analysts have also raised several price targets, with the broader analyst consensus remaining above the recent trading level. CME Upgraded to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: The Federal Reserve’s rate decision is being closely monitored, with markets expecting rates to remain unchanged. Stable rates may reduce uncertainty, but the impact on CME depends on how interest-rate and currency trading volumes respond. US Fed Opens Two-Day Meeting
• Negative Sentiment: After a strong run-up, investors may be taking profits or reassessing CME’s valuation despite its solid earnings beat and record volumes. This could limit near-term upside if results do not continue to exceed elevated expectations. CME Group Slides as Investors Digest Recent Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Sunil Cutinho sold 5,000 CME shares for approximately $1.49 million, reducing his direct stake by nearly 20%. The sale is a modest sentiment negative, though it does not by itself signal deteriorating fundamentals. CME Group Insider Sale

Insider Activity

In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence Duffy sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.44, for a total transaction of $4,116,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 40,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,150,497.20. The trade was a 26.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William Shepard bought 293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $268.76 per share, with a total value of $78,746.68. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 263,289 shares in the company, valued at $70,761,551.64. This represents a 0.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 20,900 shares of company stock valued at $5,871,155 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that provide trading, clearing and settlement services for futures and options contracts. Its products cover major asset classes, including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy and metals. The company also provides market data, benchmark information and related services used by financial institutions, corporations, producers, investors and other market participants.

CME Group’s exchange portfolio includes CME, the Chicago Board of Trade, the New York Mercantile Exchange and COMEX.