Hamlin Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Hamlin Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 7.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 730,113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 59,344 shares during the quarter. CME Group makes up 4.8% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Hamlin Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.20% of CME Group worth $199,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $605,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Keystone Financial Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,750,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 8,276 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,260,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at $549,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Price Performance

CME Group stock opened at $307.32 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.54, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.24. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $248.53 and a one year high of $329.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $300.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $280.52.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 62.45%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.52 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.59%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, Director Dennis Suskind sold 748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $224,400.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $809,700. This represents a 21.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total transaction of $1,097,120.67. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 7,192 shares in the company, valued at $2,397,597.04. This represents a 31.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,539 shares of company stock valued at $2,713,821. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CME has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on CME Group from $262.00 to $266.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings raised CME Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays boosted their price objective on CME Group from $304.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $311.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $295.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CME Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $304.06.

More CME Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 (annualized $5.20), a payout increase that supports yield-focused holders and signals confidence in cash generation. See company summary. MarketBeat: CME summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions are mixed — several firms have raised price targets and ratings (Jefferies, Weiss, Erste), while others remain cautious or underweight (JPMorgan, Goldman). The consensus view is close to a “Hold” with a median target near the current price, producing offsetting pressure on the stock. See analyst roundup. MarketBeat: analyst notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest notices published this week show zero shares/days-to-cover, which appears to be a data error (NaN/inconsistent reporting) and should not be treated as a meaningful change in market sentiment. No reliable short-squeeze signal. (No credible link — data feed report)
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership remains high and activity is mixed: large buy and sell moves by different funds have been reported in recent filings, so institutional flow is not clearly one-directional. MarketBeat: institutional activity
• Negative Sentiment: Senior management insider selling: General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares (around $1.1M) on March 17, reducing his holding by ~31%. Multiple recent insider sales by executives have been highlighted by data aggregators, which can weigh on sentiment even if sales are routine or for diversification. InsiderTrades: Marcus sale

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.