CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Bought by Marcum Wealth LLC

Marcum Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 23.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,663 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 504 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the third quarter worth about $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 188.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 120.3% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its holdings in CME Group by 62.2% during the third 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 period. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 52.4% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $231.73 on Wednesday. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $190.70 and a one year high of $249.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.51 billion, a PE ratio of 24.37, a PEG ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $232.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.36.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th will be paid a $5.80 dividend. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous dividend of $2.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 27th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.37%.

CME Group declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to repurchase up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on CME Group from $260.00 to $256.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Citigroup lowered CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Redburn Atlantic lowered CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on CME Group in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $221.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $229.27.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director Timothy S. Bitsberger sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.96, for a total value of $226,960.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,403,279.44. This trade represents a 8.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Sunil Cutinho sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.64, for a total value of $1,019,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 27,053 shares in the company, valued at $6,131,291.92. The trade was a 14.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,274 shares of company stock valued at $1,648,071. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.