Qsemble Capital Management LP Takes Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 22,196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,364,000. CME Group comprises approximately 0.8% of Qsemble Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CME. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 47,606 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,359,000 after acquiring an additional 1,294 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 543,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $106,760,000 after acquiring an additional 46,714 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 181,373 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $35,658,000 after acquiring an additional 6,178 shares in the last quarter. America First Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. America First Investment Advisors LLC now owns 95,780 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,830,000 after acquiring an additional 2,816 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 13.8% in the 2nd quarter. AGF Management Ltd. now owns 28,928 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,687,000 after acquiring an additional 3,497 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ CME opened at $218.59 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $78.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.87, a PEG ratio of 8.92 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $204.85 and a 200-day moving average of $207.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $223.80.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The company’s revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.30 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 9.94 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 Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 9th. CME Group’s payout ratio is 52.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CME shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. Bank of America lowered shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $212.00 to $177.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $209.73.

About CME Group

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.