CME Group Inc. $CME Stock Purchased by Winnacle Wealth LLC

Winnacle Wealth LLC grew its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 64.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,900 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the quarter. CME Group accounts for 0.9% of Winnacle Wealth LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Winnacle Wealth LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,546,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of CME. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 2,075.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. First Community Trust NA bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Main Street Group LTD bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Bayban purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $285.59 on Thursday. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $218.31 and a twelve month high of $329.16. The firm has a market cap of $102.69 billion, a PE ratio of 24.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.24. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $273.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $270.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.30% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. Analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. CME Group’s payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on CME Group from $267.00 to $245.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on CME Group from $330.00 to $337.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Weiss Ratings raised CME Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $286.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on CME Group from $292.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.94.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other CME Group news, Director Elizabeth A. Cook sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total transaction of $140,055.00. Following the sale, the director owned 17,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,018,450.76. The trade was a 2.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard purchased 293 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $268.76 per share, for a total transaction of $78,746.68. Following the acquisition, the director owned 263,289 shares in the company, valued at $70,761,551.64. This trade represents a 0.11% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

About CME Group

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that enable customers to manage risk and trade futures and options contracts. Its exchanges offer products linked to interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy, metals and other asset classes.

The company also provides central counterparty clearing, settlement and related risk-management services for transactions conducted on its markets. In addition, CME Group offers market data, benchmark products and technology services that support trading, analysis and connectivity for financial institutions, businesses, professional traders and other market participants.

CME Group’s history includes the Chicago Board of Trade, founded in 1848, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, established in 1898.