CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Receives “Sector Perform” Rating from Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada reissued their sector perform rating on shares of CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $235.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on CME Group from $219.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $222.07.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME traded down $1.49 during trading on Thursday, hitting $228.20. 106,973 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,926,765. The firm has a market capitalization of $82.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.13, a PEG ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $230.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $218.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $208.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.25 EPS. CME Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CME Group will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $1.15 dividend. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at $11,932,706.13. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the stock in a transaction on Sunday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total value of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the transaction, the director now owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CME. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in CME Group by 66.1% during the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 515.2% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in CME Group by 62.2% in the 3rd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during 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, together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services.