Cetera Investment Advisers Increases Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in CME Group Inc. by 18.7%, holding 40,196 shares valued at approximately $10.66 million as of its latest filing with the SEC.
• Insider trading showed significant selling of CME Group shares, with insiders selling 10,400 shares worth about $2.88 million in the last quarter, representing substantial decreases in their ownership.
• CME Group reported earnings of $2.96 per share for the latest quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations of $2.91 and showing a 10.4% revenue increase compared to the previous year.

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 18.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 40,196 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 6,319 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in CME Group were worth $10,664,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heartland Bank & Trust Co acquired a new stake in CME Group during the first quarter valued at $377,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 256.9% in the first quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,662 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $971,000 after purchasing an additional 2,636 shares during the period. OMNI 360 Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the first quarter valued at about $367,000. Fulcrum Equity Management acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the first quarter valued at about $258,000. Finally, Aspire Growth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $548,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Trading Up 0.9%

CME stock traded up $2.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $280.76. 3,011,041 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,073,115. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $276.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $263.89. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $196.62 and a 1 year high of $290.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.62, a P/E/G ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.44.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.05. CME Group had a net margin of 58.48% and a return on equity of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.56 earnings per share. CME Group's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. CME Group's payout ratio is 48.40%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on CME shares. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $305.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Barclays set a $298.00 target price on shares of CME Group and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given 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 an average target price of $261.93.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other news, Director Daniel G. Kaye sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.42, for a total value of $141,210.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,668 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,035,916.56. The trade was a 12.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $272.56, for a total value of $817,680.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,471,824. The trade was a 35.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,400 shares of company stock valued at $2,881,130 over the last ninety days. 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.