CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Stock: Insider Julie Winkler Sells 10,079 Shares

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) insider Julie Winkler sold 10,079 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.15, for a total value of $3,075,606.85. Following the transaction, the insider owned 21,482 shares in the company, valued at $6,555,232.30. The trade was a 31.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $304.06 on Wednesday. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $218.31 and a twelve month high of $329.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $108.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.23, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $281.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $280.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 63.33%. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. On average, analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is 42.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $292.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of CME Group from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $367.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $286.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $330.00 price objective (up from $295.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $314.44.

Key CME Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME Group’s market-data revenue reached a record $243 million last quarter, providing a recurring revenue stream alongside trading-related income. Trading activity was also described as strong across several markets, which may support near-term results. CME Group market-data revenue article
• Neutral Sentiment: The CFTC has cleared stock perpetual futures for trading on U.S. registered exchanges. This could broaden the products available in the futures market, but the report does not specify the impact on CME Group. Article on CFTC approval of stock perpetual futures
• Negative Sentiment: Two insiders sold shares on Nov. 2. Julie Winkler sold 10,079 shares, reducing her position by about 32%, while director Howard Siegel sold 2,000 shares, reducing his holding by about 9%. Insider sales can weigh on sentiment, though both retained shares and the transactions do not necessarily indicate a change in the company’s outlook. CME Group insider sales report

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CME. Endowment Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in CME Group by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Endowment Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,086 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Buckhead Capital Management LLC raised its position in CME Group by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Buckhead Capital Management LLC now owns 3,588 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $940,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lifted its stake in CME Group by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 46,080 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $12,072,000 after acquiring an additional 2,409 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in CME Group by 12.6% during the 3rd quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 421,421 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $110,404,000 after acquiring an additional 47,305 shares during the period. Finally, Leelyn Smith LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Leelyn Smith LLC now owns 12,172 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,189,000 after acquiring an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About CME Group

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that provide trading, clearing and settlement services for futures and options contracts. Its products cover major asset classes, including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy and metals. The company also provides market data, benchmark information and related services used by financial institutions, corporations, producers, investors and other market participants.

CME Group’s exchange portfolio includes CME, the Chicago Board of Trade, the New York Mercantile Exchange and COMEX.