Brokerages Set CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Target Price at $305.29

Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $305.2941.

CME has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price target on CME Group from $340.00 to $316.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on CME Group from $342.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday.

CME Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME launched 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options, expanding access for global market participants and potentially boosting volumes in its fast-growing digital-asset franchise. CME Group Announces Launch of 24/7 Cryptocurrency Futures and Options Trading
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported a record May average daily volume of 33.2 million contracts, up 15% year over year, signaling strong customer activity and healthy transaction demand. CME Group May Volume Hits New Record of 33.2 Million Contracts, Up 15% Year Over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Ripple said CME’s new around-the-clock crypto offering reflects strong institutional demand, highlighting CME’s role in regulated digital-asset trading and clearing. Ripple Highlights Institutional XRP Demand as CME Launches 24/7 Crypto Futures
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have recently continued to view CME as an attractive dividend stock, which may help support investor sentiment but does not appear to be a major near-term catalyst. CME Group (CME) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also weighing competitive concerns after a rival U.S. equity-index futures product went live, raising fears of fee pressure and possible market-share loss in CME’s core derivatives franchise. CME slides 5.7% as a new U.S. equity-index futures competitor goes live, raising share-loss fears

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total value of $1,752,536.39. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This represents a 17.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. The trade was a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 44,044 shares of company stock valued at $13,297,507. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. West Family Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in CME Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 11,523 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,147,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlatl Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC now owns 2,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $574,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Down 2.8%

CME Group stock opened at $250.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $292.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $289.45. The company has a market cap of $90.78 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.21. CME Group has a fifty-two week low of $244.56 and a fifty-two week high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that CME Group will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.37%.

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.