Sterling Investment Counsel LLC Invests $212,000 in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Sterling Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 959 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the second quarter worth $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of CME Group by 66.1% in 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 boosted its stake in CME Group by 515.2% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in CME Group by 62.2% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Trading Down 1.3 %

NASDAQ:CME traded down $3.03 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $223.14. 661,887 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,931,469. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.73, a PEG ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $190.70 and a 12 month high of $230.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company has a fifty day moving average of $217.70 and a 200 day moving average of $208.53.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 56.98%. CME Group’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.30 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.04 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CME shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $235.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $228.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 14th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $221.00 price target for the company. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $220.07.

Insider Activity

In other CME Group news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the company’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 transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the transaction, the director now owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Sunday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total transaction of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Company 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.