UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Stock Price

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) had its price objective hoisted by UBS Group from $290.00 to $305.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

CME has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays increased their price target on CME Group from $279.00 to $283.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup lowered shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised CME Group to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $256.80.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $266.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $95.96 billion, a PE ratio of 27.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.43. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $258.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.80. CME Group has a 12 month low of $190.70 and a 12 month high of $273.42.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. Analysts predict that CME Group will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 7th. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 51.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total transaction of $2,888,378.64. Following the sale, the insider now owns 21,885 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,453,085.45. This trade represents a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Howard J. Siegel sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total value of $2,600,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 21,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,686,980. The trade was a 31.37 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 27,076 shares of company stock worth $6,871,496. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CME Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position in shares of CME Group by 570.6% in the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC boosted its stake in CME Group by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 129 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 612.5% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

About CME Group

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.