Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Increases Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its holdings in CME Group Inc. by 19.2% in the first quarter, now owning 12,137 shares valued at $3.22 million.
• CME Group reported earnings of $2.96 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and showing a 10.4% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.25, with a yield of 1.9%, to be paid on September 25th.

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 19.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,137 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the quarter. CME Group accounts for approximately 0.9% of Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $3,220,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 122.2% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 612.5% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Up 1.5%

CME Group stock traded up $3.95 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $269.35. 2,136,475 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,773,067. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $212.38 and a 12-month high of $290.79. The business has a fifty day moving average of $275.32 and a 200 day moving average of $269.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $97.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.07, a PEG ratio of 4.82 and a beta of 0.43.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.05. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.60% and a net margin of 58.48%.The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.56 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 9th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 48.40%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director William R. Shepard purchased 256 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $270.53 per share, with a total value of $69,255.68. Following the transaction, the director owned 258,196 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $69,849,763.88. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $265.35, for a total value of $132,675.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,900 shares in the company, valued at $1,300,215. This trade represents a 9.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CME has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on CME Group from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Erste Group Bank cut shares of CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on CME Group from $283.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $261.93.

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.