Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Invests $289,000 in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. has invested approximately $289,000 in CME Group Inc., acquiring 1,048 shares in the 2nd quarter.
• CME Group reported a 10.4% increase in quarterly revenue year-over-year, with earnings per share at $2.96, exceeding analysts' expectations.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.25, representing an annualized yield of 1.9%, with a current payout ratio of 48.40%.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,048 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $289,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Webster Bank N. A. increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 206.9% in the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 89 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 122.2% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group by 84.3% during the second quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 612.5% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Trading Up 0.4%

CME Group stock opened at $268.15 on Thursday. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $213.94 and a 52 week high of $290.79. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $96.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.96, a PEG ratio of 6.13 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $267.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $271.30.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 14.60% and a net margin of 58.48%.The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.56 earnings per share. CME Group's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. CME Group's payout ratio is presently 48.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, Director William R. Shepard acquired 262 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $265.19 per share, for a total transaction of $69,479.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 258,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $68,540,742.21. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 392 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total transaction of $102,704.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 7,851 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,056,962. This represents a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,043 shares of company stock valued at $3,527,956 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of CME Group from $313.00 to $304.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, July 13th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $298.00 to $280.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on CME Group from $300.00 to $303.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on CME Group from $303.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $283.71.

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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