CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the eighteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $292.1765.

CME has been the topic of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on CME Group from $296.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director William R. Shepard bought 251 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $278.37 per share, for a total transaction of $69,870.87. Following the acquisition, the director owned 258,710 shares in the company, valued at $72,017,102.70. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total value of $263,530.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $287,511.23. The trade was a 47.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CME. Caldwell Trust Co grew its position in shares of CME Group by 116.3% in the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 84.3% during the 2nd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in CME Group by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Stock Down 0.3%

CME opened at $289.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $104.24 billion, a PE ratio of 28.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. CME Group has a fifty-two week low of $233.66 and a fifty-two week high of $291.76. The business has a 50-day moving average of $275.25 and a 200-day moving average of $272.35.

CME Group Announces Dividend

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

CME Group Company 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.