CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Sold by Kestra Advisory Services LLC

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services LLC cut its stake in CME Group by 43.9% in the first quarter, selling 6,197 shares and leaving it with 7,924 shares valued at about $2.34 million.
• CME Group reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with EPS of $3.36 versus estimates of $3.11 and revenue of $1.88 billion versus $1.77 billion expected. Revenue rose 14.5% year over year.
• The company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, implying an annualized dividend of $5.20 and a yield of 2.1%. Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a price target of $292.12.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC lowered its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 43.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,924 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,197 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $2,340,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Asset Dedication LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC grew its position in CME Group by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 11,523 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,147,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its position in CME Group by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 898 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC grew its position in CME Group by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Sovran Advisors LLC now owns 1,118 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Endowment Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in CME Group by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Endowment Wealth Management Inc. now owns 895 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $245.05 on Monday. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $218.31 and a 12-month high of $329.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.80 billion, a PE ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock's fifty day moving average is $258.54 and its 200-day moving average is $282.15.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.CME Group's revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.18 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th were issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.37%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total value of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This represents a 17.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard acquired 325 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $230.57 per share, with a total value of $74,935.25. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 260,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,050,111.94. This trade represents a 0.12% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of CME Group from $316.00 to $270.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of CME Group from $310.00 to $260.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen cut CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $292.12.

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world's largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company's core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.

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