Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC Purchases 300 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CME. Second Half Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $2,737,000. Bluefin Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,891,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 81.4% during the first quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 44,534 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,588,000 after acquiring an additional 19,985 shares during the last quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 523 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $110,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 229.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 292,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,618,000 after purchasing an additional 203,769 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on CME Group from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Bank of America downgraded shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $212.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $209.73.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the transaction, the director now owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at $11,932,706.13. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,399,936.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was 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 directly owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $218.54 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $203.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $207.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.86, a P/E/G ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $223.80.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.03. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 56.98%. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.30 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 9.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

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.