Demars Financial Group LLC Sells 3,376 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Demars Financial Group LLC lowered its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 68.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,563 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,376 shares during the quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $409,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the second quarter valued at about $612,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in CME Group in the second quarter worth about $53,671,000. Focus Financial Network Inc. purchased a new stake in CME Group in the third quarter worth about $1,513,000. Haverford Trust Co bought a new position in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $13,818,000. Finally, Bowie Capital Management LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $22,991,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $305.98 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $110.02 billion, a PE ratio of 25.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $270.49. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $218.31 and a one year high of $329.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.03. CME Group had a net margin of 63.33% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.68 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. 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 presently 44.11%.

Insider Activity

In other CME Group news, Director Martin Gepsman sold 400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $302.50, for a total value of $121,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 25,244 shares in the company, valued at $7,636,310. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Elizabeth Cook sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total transaction of $140,055.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 17,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,018,450.76. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 15,900 shares of company stock worth $4,377,655. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record Q3 performance: CME reported revenue of $1.74 billion, up 10.6% year over year and ahead of the $1.71 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $3.02 also exceeded expectations, while average daily volume reached a record 29.4 million contracts. Growth was supported by higher derivatives activity, transaction fees and market-data revenue. CME Group third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns and operating momentum: CME returned nearly $1 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Management also highlighted record participation, international volume growth and plans to launch CME Securities Clearing on December 7, potentially expanding its clearing business. CME Securities Clearing launch
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgrade: JPMorgan raised CME from “underweight” to “overweight” and established a $367 price target, implying substantial potential upside. The upgrade reflects confidence in CME’s volume growth and earnings outlook. JPMorgan CME rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst view: UBS raised its price target from $270 to $310 but maintained a “neutral” rating, suggesting analysts see limited near-term upside at the current valuation. UBS CME rating
• Negative Sentiment: Expense concerns and insider selling: The stock initially faced pressure because quarterly expenses disappointed despite the earnings beat. Director Martin Gepsman also sold 400 shares worth $121,000; the relatively small transaction leaves him with approximately 25,244 shares, so its signaling value appears limited. Martin Gepsman insider transaction

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $320.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $286.00 to $270.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, CLSA set a $367.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday. 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, CME Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $313.29.

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.