Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Has $588,000 Stock Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. cut its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 71.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,991 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 7,599 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $588,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth about $27,986,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 169.6% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 82,371 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $17,347,000 after acquiring an additional 51,818 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 76.4% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,938 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,250,000 after purchasing an additional 2,571 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 271.5% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 21,587 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,547,000 after purchasing an additional 15,777 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in CME Group by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 9,746 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,053,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other CME Group news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at $1,399,936.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other CME Group news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 7,163 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,399,936.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Daniel R. Glickman sold 650 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.44, for a total value of $130,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,821,771.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 4,650 shares of company stock worth $928,776 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded up $0.28 on Wednesday, hitting $207.85. 1,152,142 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,956,675. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $198.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 0.52. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $223.80.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.03. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.30 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 9.8 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 9th. CME Group's payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CME has been the subject of several research reports. Rosenblatt Securities reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $187.00 price target (up previously from $185.00) on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of CME Group from $195.00 to $193.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $212.64.

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.