Core Alternative Capital Sells 2,837 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Core Alternative Capital decreased its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 12.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,498 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 2,837 shares during the period. CME Group comprises about 1.5% of Core Alternative Capital’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Core Alternative Capital’s holdings in CME Group were worth $5,268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CME. Jessup Wealth Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,969 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in CME Group by 0.7% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,453,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its holdings in CME Group by 2.7% in the second quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its position in CME Group by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 5,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 59.2% during the 2nd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ CME opened at $284.48 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $274.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $272.05. The firm has a market cap of $102.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.27. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $232.32 and a twelve month high of $290.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on CME Group from $304.00 to $302.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 12th. Bank of America boosted their price target on CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of CME Group from $320.00 to $319.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Argus reduced their price objective on CME Group from $308.00 to $295.00 in a research note on Friday, October 31st. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $292.18.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director William R. Shepard acquired 251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $278.37 per share, for a total transaction of $69,870.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 258,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,017,102.70. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total value of $6,738,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,804 shares in the company, valued at $17,737,468.20. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world’s largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company’s core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.