CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Acquired by Ashton Thomas Securities LLC

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 328.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,490 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,040 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC's holdings in CME Group were worth $2,392,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in CME Group by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,810 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,723,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 436 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich increased its position in CME Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 7,667 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,507,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 10.2% during the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 593 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $131,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its position in CME Group by 1.3% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 4,276 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $943,000 after purchasing an additional 55 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 NASDAQ CME traded up $0.27 during trading on Monday, reaching $225.93. 1,148,465 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,915,664. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $190.70 and a 12-month high of $230.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market cap of $81.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80, a PEG ratio of 5.68 and a beta of 0.55. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $221.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $209.84.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.04%. CME Group's payout ratio is currently 48.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on CME Group in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. They set a "hold" rating and a $221.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $235.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on CME Group from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $224.47.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CME Group news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Sunday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total transaction of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,621 shares of company stock valued at $3,441,063 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.