Truist Financial Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in CME Group Inc. $CME

Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 8.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 70,712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,773 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in CME Group were worth $19,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Jessup Wealth Management Inc raised its holdings in CME Group by 0.5% in 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 buying an additional 36 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,453,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 2.7% during the second quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 0.8% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $289.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.24 billion, a PE ratio of 28.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.27. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $233.66 and a 12 month high of $291.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business has a 50-day moving average of $275.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $272.35.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Barclays boosted their price objective on CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on CME Group from $310.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. TD Cowen upgraded CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their price target on CME Group from $307.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $292.18.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

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

About CME Group

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.