CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Director Acquires $13,677.60 in Stock

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Director William R. Shepard purchased 60 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $227.96 per share, for a total transaction of $13,677.60. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,432 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $554,398.72. This represents a 2.53 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $232.71 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $83.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.47, a PEG ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.56. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $233.29 and its 200-day moving average is $219.77. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $249.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.65 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.25 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 27th were issued a dividend of $5.80 per share. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous dividend of $2.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 48.37%.

CME Group declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 188.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 120.3% during the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its holdings in CME Group by 62.2% in the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 193 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 51.6% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 329 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CME shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on CME Group from $231.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on CME Group from $245.00 to $258.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CME Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $229.27.

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.