SG Americas Securities LLC Increases Holdings in CME Group Inc. $CME

SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 893.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 186,342 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 167,594 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.05% of CME Group worth $51,360,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CME. Jessup Wealth Management Inc lifted its position in CME Group by 0.5% during the second quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,969 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,197,000 after buying an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,453,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $441,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $538,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 5,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME opened at $285.04 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $102.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.62, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business’s 50 day moving average is $267.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.85. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $222.56 and a 52-week high of $290.79.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 58.84% and a return on equity of 14.61%. The company’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.68 EPS. Analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total transaction of $263,530.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $287,511.23. The trade was a 47.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard purchased 262 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $265.19 per share, with a total value of $69,479.78. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 258,459 shares in the company, valued at $68,540,742.21. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 14,043 shares of company stock valued at $3,791,486 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CME shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $262.00 to $263.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $288.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on CME Group from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on CME Group from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $287.65.

CME Group Company 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.