CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by Windward Capital Management Co. CA

Windward Capital Management Co. CA reduced its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 87,811 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 1,687 shares during the quarter. CME Group comprises approximately 1.5% of Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Windward Capital Management Co. CA’s holdings in CME Group were worth $17,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of CME. Second Half Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $2,737,000. Bluefin Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $2,891,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 81.4% during the first quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 44,534 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,588,000 after buying an additional 19,985 shares during the period. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 20.2% during the fourth quarter. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP now owns 523 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $110,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in CME Group by 229.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 292,597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $61,618,000 after acquiring an additional 203,769 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at $11,932,706.13. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other CME Group news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the sale, the director now owns 55,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at $1,399,936.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the topic of several analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded CME Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $212.00 to $177.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $209.73.

CME Group Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $220.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.51 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $190.70 and a 52 week high of $223.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $203.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.30 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 9.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.