SG Americas Securities LLC Cuts Stake in CME Group Inc. $CME

SG Americas Securities LLC cut its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 71.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 53,439 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 132,903 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $14,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jessup Wealth Management Inc increased its stake in CME Group by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,969 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 0.7% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,453,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of CME Group by 2.3% during the first quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $441,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its holdings in CME Group by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $266.64 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.15 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $274.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $271.96. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $225.46 and a twelve month high of $290.79.

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

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.45%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total transaction of $263,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $287,511.23. The trade was a 47.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard acquired 251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $278.37 per share, for a total transaction of $69,870.87. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 258,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,017,102.70. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on CME shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on CME Group from $264.00 to $263.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CME Group from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on CME Group from $288.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $283.00 to $287.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $291.06.

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.