CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Nicolet Advisory Services LLC

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC lessened its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 97 shares during the quarter. Nicolet Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $245,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CME. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of CME Group by 66.1% during the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 515.2% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in CME Group by 62.2% in the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank & Trust Co purchased a new position in CME Group in the second quarter worth approximately $76,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. TD Cowen began coverage on CME Group in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $221.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays raised their target price on CME Group from $219.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on CME Group from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $224.47.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at $11,932,706.13. This trade represents a 12.01 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Timothy S. Bitsberger sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.96, for a total transaction of $226,960.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 10,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,403,279.44. This represents a 8.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,621 shares of company stock valued at $3,441,063. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $229.04 on Monday. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $190.70 and a one year high of $230.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.08, a PEG ratio of 5.23 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $223.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $211.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.22 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. CME Group’s payout ratio is 48.37%.

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.