BidaskClub lowered shares of CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday morning, BidAskClub reports.
Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on CME. Deutsche Bank upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $245.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Credit Suisse Group started coverage on shares of CME Group in a report on Monday, December 16th. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $218.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of CME Group from $183.00 to $173.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, ValuEngine downgraded shares of CME Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. The company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $208.36.
CME opened at $206.86 on Friday. CME Group has a 52-week low of $161.05 and a 52-week high of $224.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14. The company has a market cap of $74.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $204.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $207.17.
CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.15. CME Group had a net margin of 40.93% and a return on equity of 9.54%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.27 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 41.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that CME Group will post 6.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.
The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a $2.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 26th. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous dividend of $1.75. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is 43.99%.
In other CME Group news, Director Ronald A. Pankau sold 300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $199.02, for a total value of $59,706.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 3,906 shares in the company, valued at approximately $777,372.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 39,309 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.38, for a total value of $7,955,355.42. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 46,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,447,907.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 40,609 shares of company stock worth $8,216,221. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Evoke Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Thor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Bartlett & Co. LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 2,471.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bartlett & Co. LLC now owns 180 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 84.14% of the company’s stock.
CME Group Company Profile
CME Group Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers a range of products across various asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, and metals, as well as fixed income products.
