Kentucky Retirement Systems Sells 2,047 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Kentucky Retirement Systems lowered its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 7.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,047 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in CME Group were worth $5,535,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Koa Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 37.1% in the 3rd quarter. Koa Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,658 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,615 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 9.6% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 7,003 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,545,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 2.2% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 12,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,737,000 after buying an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.3% in the third quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 29,616 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,535,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc grew its position in CME Group by 3.1% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 113,005 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,935,000 after buying an additional 3,421 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $225.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $81.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.26 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $190.70 and a 52 week high of $230.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $222.62 and its 200-day moving average is $210.37. 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 announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Investors of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. CME Group’s payout ratio is presently 48.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In related news, insider Timothy Francis Mccourt sold 1,374 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $312,062.88. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,652,298. This trade represents a 15.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $222.92, for a total value of $89,168.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 25,067 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,587,935.64. This trade represents a 1.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,621 shares of company stock valued at $3,441,063. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price objective on CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America increased their price objective 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 target price on shares of CME Group from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $224.47.

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.