CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday,Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. CLSA set a $367.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CME Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $337.00 to $359.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $314.44.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME opened at $306.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $110.12 billion, a PE ratio of 24.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $280.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $280.20. CME Group has a 12-month low of $218.31 and a 12-month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.33% and a return on equity of 16.23%. CME Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.68 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CME Group will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.66%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Sunil Cutinho sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.70, for a total transaction of $1,493,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,985,051.90. This trade represents a 19.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 15,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.44, for a total transaction of $4,116,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 40,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,150,497.20. The trade was a 26.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 30,979 shares of company stock valued at $8,946,762. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CME Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brookmont Capital Management lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 0.6% during the third quarter. Brookmont Capital Management now owns 5,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,483,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 1,297 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $340,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. NBT Bank N A NY increased its stake in CME Group by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. NBT Bank N A NY now owns 1,666 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $492,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Resonant Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,073 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in CME Group by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 5,038 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,320,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Company Profile

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that provide trading, clearing and settlement services for futures and options contracts. Its products cover major asset classes, including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy and metals. The company also provides market data, benchmark information and related services used by financial institutions, corporations, producers, investors and other market participants.

CME Group’s exchange portfolio includes CME, the Chicago Board of Trade, the New York Mercantile Exchange and COMEX.