Harmony Asset Management LLC Sells 1,046 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Harmony Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 5.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,741 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 1,046 shares during the period. CME Group comprises 1.9% of Harmony Asset Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Harmony Asset Management LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $4,441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Applied Capital LLC FL boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Applied Capital LLC FL now owns 5,947 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,578,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,238 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,512,000 after purchasing an additional 5,074 shares in the last quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 44.5% in the 1st quarter. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC now owns 3,203 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 987 shares in the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter valued at $1,021,000. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,204 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $321,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $275.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.67, a P/E/G ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.44. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $193.25 and a 1-year high of $290.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $276.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $259.23.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.03% and a net margin of 57.71%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.50 EPS. Equities analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th were paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.35, for a total value of $132,675.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,300,215. This represents a 9.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Phyllis M. Lockett sold 1,060 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.88, for a total value of $294,552.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $863,651.04. This trade represents a 25.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 13,400 shares of company stock worth $3,680,610 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of CME Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on CME Group from $282.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Bank of America lifted their price target on CME Group from $200.00 to $219.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $260.93.

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.

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