Hilltop Holdings Inc. Sells 7,404 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Hilltop Holdings cut its stake in CME Group by 54.7% in the first quarter, selling 7,404 shares and leaving it with 6,133 shares valued at about $1.81 million.
• Insider selling was notable, with CEO Terrence A. Duffy and insider Hilda Harris Piell both reducing their CME holdings in May through transactions worth more than $10 million and $1.75 million, respectively.
• CME Group beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $2.99 EPS on $1.71 billion in revenue, while analysts remain mixed with a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $291.81.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. cut its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 54.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,133 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,404 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 43.8% in the 1st quarter. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC now owns 1,309 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $387,000 after acquiring an additional 399 shares in the last quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC grew its position in CME Group by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,170 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,208,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management increased its holdings in CME Group by 35.2% during the 1st quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 2,883 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $851,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares in the last quarter. Volterra Technologies LP bought a new position in CME Group in the 1st quarter valued at $1,072,000. Finally, First Washington CORP raised its position in CME Group by 47.6% in the 1st quarter. First Washington CORP now owns 27,016 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,979,000 after purchasing an additional 8,713 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider owned 27,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This trade represents a 17.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. This represents a 38.62% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Erste Group Bank lowered CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 5th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on CME Group from $329.00 to $295.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $342.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of CME Group from $267.00 to $245.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $291.81.

CME Group Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of CME opened at $255.31 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $254.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $281.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.25. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $218.31 and a 52 week high of $329.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.08. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 63.30%.The company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.96 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th were given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.11%.

Key Stories Impacting CME Group

Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CME Group’s Q2 results topped expectations, and the stock was reported higher on the earnings beat. US Stock Market: CME shares jump 6% after Q2 profit beats estimates; strong hedging demand boosts results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts noted strong fundamentals and at least one rating upgrade following the earnings release, which can support investor confidence. CME Group: Q2 Earnings Results Lead To A Rating Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Hold rating and kept its $260 target, signaling solid fundamentals but limited upside at current valuation. Neutral Stance Reiterated on CME as Solid Fundamentals Meet Valuation Limits; $260 Price Target Maintained
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America and JPMorgan both maintained bearish/underweight views, even though they slightly raised price targets, highlighting ongoing caution about upside. Analyst price target updates
• Negative Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful short position, so this headline is unlikely to be a real stock driver and does not change the core thesis.

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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