CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC

Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC lessened its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.0% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 165,567 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,328 shares during the quarter. CME Group makes up 2.6% of Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $35,645,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Second Half Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $2,737,000. Naples Global Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $436,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in CME Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,823,000. Bluefin Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,891,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,074,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total transaction of $8,436,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at $14,226,934.05. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other CME Group news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total value of $586,320.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,399,936.72. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total transaction of $8,436,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 67,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,226,934.05. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 54,290 shares of company stock worth $11,393,700 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Bank of America raised their target price on CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $215.90.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME Group stock traded down $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $195.17. 1,225,639 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,849,831. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $179.44 and a 12-month high of $223.80. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $205.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $208.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.20, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.52.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 56.84% and a return on equity of 12.45%. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.42 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 9.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were given a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

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.