CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Newly Bought by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 14,620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,830,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CME. AMG National Trust Bank acquired a new position in CME Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $241,000. Moneco Advisors LLC boosted its position in CME Group by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. Moneco Advisors LLC now owns 2,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. now owns 21,611 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,662,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares during the period. Lido Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 19,966 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,231,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the period. Finally, 71 West Capital Partners increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. 71 West Capital Partners now owns 1,108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $309.09 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $110.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.15. The business’s 50 day moving average is $283.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $281.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $218.31 and a 12-month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 63.33%. CME Group’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.68 earnings per share. Analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 target price (up from $295.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. CLSA set a $367.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of CME Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Ten equities research 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 MarketBeat, CME Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $314.44.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.44, for a total value of $4,116,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel G. Kaye sold 532 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.17, for a total transaction of $161,818.44. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,313 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,311,885.21. This represents a 10.98% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 33,511 shares of company stock worth $9,714,580. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group operates a global marketplace for derivatives and other financial products. Through its exchanges—CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX—it offers futures and options contracts tied to interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. The company also provides clearing and settlement services, market data and related products. Its electronic trading platform, CME Globex, supports access to its markets by participants around the world, alongside its open-outcry and privately negotiated trading services.