Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Increases Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 37.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 638 shares during the quarter. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $517,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CME. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 62.2% during the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 66.1% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 515.2% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

CME stock opened at $223.61 on Monday. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $190.70 and a 52-week high of $230.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market cap of $80.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.55. The business has a fifty day moving average of $220.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $209.49.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. The company’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.25 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.37%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Timothy S. Bitsberger sold 1,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $226.96, for a total value of $226,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 10,589 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,403,279.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, Director Timothy S. Bitsberger sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.96, for a total transaction of $226,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,589 shares in the company, valued at $2,403,279.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Timothy Francis Mccourt sold 1,374 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.12, for a total transaction of $312,062.88. Following the sale, the insider now owns 7,275 shares in the company, valued at $1,652,298. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,221 shares of company stock valued at $3,351,895. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the subject of several recent research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, September 26th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $221.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on CME Group from $219.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $222.73.

About CME Group

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.