CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Research Coverage Started at Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) in a research note released on Friday morning, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued an overweight rating and a $301.00 price objective on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CME. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $292.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Monday, September 28th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CME Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings cut shares of CME Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $249.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $289.81.

CME Group Price Performance

CME opened at $263.14 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $94.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.24. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $271.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $272.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. CME Group has a 12 month low of $218.31 and a 12 month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.60% and a net margin of 63.30%.The company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. CME Group’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that CME Group will post 12.31 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 9th were paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.11%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence Duffy sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.44, for a total transaction of $4,116,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 40,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,150,497.20. The trade was a 26.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director William Shepard acquired 293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $268.76 per share, with a total value of $78,746.68. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 263,289 shares in the company, valued at approximately $70,761,551.64. This represents a 0.11% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CME Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $6,749,965,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 16,144,525 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,408,747,000 after purchasing an additional 56,725 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in CME Group by 39.1% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,019,944 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,187,290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130,587 shares during the period. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in CME Group by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,197,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,146,593,000 after purchasing an additional 87,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in CME Group by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,399,414 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $928,312,000 after purchasing an additional 18,281 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record trading activity supports revenue prospects: CME Group reported September and third-quarter average daily volume records, with ADV rising 22% year over year in September and 16% for the quarter. Higher volumes generally increase clearing and transaction revenue. CME Group Sets September, Q3 Average Daily Volume Records
• Positive Sentiment: Strong soybean futures participation: CME Group set a new open-interest record in soybean futures, indicating continued engagement in agricultural derivatives and supporting the exchange’s diversified volume base. CME Group Sets New Open Interest Record in Soybean Futures
• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter earnings expectations remain favorable: Analysts anticipate low double-digit bottom-line growth when CME Group reports third-quarter results later this month, helped by the elevated trading volumes. What You Need to Know Ahead of CME Group’s Earnings Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor commentary highlights a volume-versus-price disconnect: Cambiar Investors’ quarterly letter discussed CME Group as a potential addition on weakness, noting that record trading activity has not translated into comparable stock performance. This may attract value-oriented investors but also underscores market hesitation. CME Group Adding on Weakness
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation may limit near-term upside: An analysis asked whether CME Group is fully priced following its push into cryptocurrency futures, suggesting investors may need additional growth or execution evidence to justify further appreciation. Is CME Group Fully Priced After Its Crypto Futures Push?
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst rating adds pressure: Wall Street analysts recently assigned CME Group a “Hold” rating, reinforcing the view that the stock’s strong operating performance may already be reflected in its valuation. CME Group Stock Rated Hold

About CME Group

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that enable customers to manage risk and trade futures and options contracts. Its exchanges offer products linked to interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy, metals and other asset classes.

The company also provides central counterparty clearing, settlement and related risk-management services for transactions conducted on its markets. In addition, CME Group offers market data, benchmark products and technology services that support trading, analysis and connectivity for financial institutions, businesses, professional traders and other market participants.

CME Group’s history includes the Chicago Board of Trade, founded in 1848, and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, established in 1898.