Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB Trims Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB decreased its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 5.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,706 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,751 shares during the quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB’s holdings in CME Group were worth $13,430,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. West Family Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $827,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC now owns 2,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1248 Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 26.8% in the 3rd quarter. 1248 Management LLC now owns 180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $313.33 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $297.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $279.72. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $248.53 and a 12-month high of $329.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08, a PEG ratio of 3.39 and a beta of 0.24.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $0.02. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 62.45%.The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.52 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 46.59%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Dennis Suskind sold 748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $224,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $809,700. This represents a 21.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total transaction of $1,300,530.00. Following the sale, the director owned 43,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,317,117.55. The trade was a 8.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 5,248 shares of company stock valued at $1,616,700. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on CME Group from $295.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $302.00 to $356.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $333.00 to $347.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $305.00 to $328.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $304.06.

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world’s largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company’s core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.