Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Has $60.21 Million Holdings in CME Group Inc. $CME

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 117.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 223,986 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 120,931 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC owned 0.06% of CME Group worth $60,208,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Caldwell Trust Co lifted its stake in CME Group by 116.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting CME Group

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 Stock Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $307.32 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $300.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $280.60. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $248.53 and a one year high of $329.16. The stock has a market cap of $110.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.54, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

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

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on CME shares. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $302.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $304.00 to $312.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Raymond James Financial lowered their target price on CME Group from $311.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on CME Group from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $304.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

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