Greenwood Capital Associates LLC Lowers Stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Greenwood Capital Associates LLC trimmed its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 26.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,253 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 8,841 shares during the period. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $6,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First United Bank & Trust boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 13.3% in the first quarter. First United Bank & Trust now owns 3,972 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,054,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 23.7% during the 1st quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 1,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $500,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the period. Donaldson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 230,075 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $61,037,000 after buying an additional 6,253 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in CME Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $230,000. Finally, My Legacy Advisors LLC boosted its position in CME Group by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. My Legacy Advisors LLC now owns 2,384 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $632,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $269.65 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $97.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.89, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.45. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $190.70 and a fifty-two week high of $290.79. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $272.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $253.75.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 57.52%. The business had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.50 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 50.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Larry G. Gerdes sold 2,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $264.10, for a total transaction of $528,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,651 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,207,729.10. The trade was a 4.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Dennis Suskind sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $271.28, for a total value of $271,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 2,915 shares in the company, valued at $790,781.20. This trade represents a 25.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,400 shares of company stock worth $3,680,610. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CME has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $269.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on CME Group from $282.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of CME Group from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 24th. Finally, Raymond James upgraded shares of CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $287.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $258.20.

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.