2,371 CME Group Inc. $CME Shares Sold by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 100,573 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,371 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $26,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in CME Group in the 2nd quarter valued at about $612,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $53,671,000. Focus Financial Network Inc. acquired a new position in CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,513,000. Haverford Trust Co acquired a new position in CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $13,818,000. Finally, Bowie Capital Management LLC bought a new position in CME Group in the 2nd quarter worth about $22,991,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations: CME reported $1.74 billion in revenue, up 10.6% year over year and above the $1.71 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $3.02 also topped expectations of approximately $2.99, while net income reached $1.04 billion. CME Group 3Q Profit, Revenue Rise on Higher Derivatives Volume
• Positive Sentiment: Record volumes provide a strong earnings catalyst: Average daily volume climbed to a third-quarter record of 29.4 million contracts, including 9 million contracts outside the United States. Clearing and transaction-fee revenue was approximately $1.4 billion, while market-data revenue rose 20% to a record $243 million. CME Group Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management indicated continued momentum: CEO Terry Duffy highlighted record participation and suggested CME is positioned for another record year. The company also returned nearly $1 billion to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. CME Group Earnings Call Signals Another Record Year
• Positive Sentiment: Product expansion could broaden future growth: CME plans to launch CME Securities Clearing on December 7 and is expanding into additional cryptocurrency and digital-asset products, including UNI futures and planned token-index products. CME outlines launch of CME Securities Clearing
• Neutral Sentiment: Key risks remain: The initial market reaction was cautious because expenses were higher than anticipated. CME also faces regulatory uncertainty involving its bitcoin perpetual-futures litigation and digital-asset rules, though the CFTC has urged dismissal of the lawsuit. CME Group stock reaction to Q3 earnings

CME Group Stock Performance

CME stock opened at $295.79 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $106.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.09, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $270.49. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $218.31 and a fifty-two week high of $329.16. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.03. CME Group had a net margin of 63.30% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The firm had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.68 EPS. CME Group’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on CME shares. Barclays raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $270.00 to $281.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Bank of America lifted their price target on CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on CME Group from $301.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on CME Group from $249.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $292.94.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director William Shepard acquired 293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $268.76 per share, for a total transaction of $78,746.68. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 263,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $70,761,551.64. The trade was a 0.11% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through 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 transaction, the director owned 17,916 shares in the company, valued at $5,018,450.76. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.