CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the ten brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $220.00.

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 12th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $204.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $224.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 11th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $215.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 26th.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director Dennis Suskind sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.60, for a total value of $320,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $676,471.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other CME Group news, Director Dennis Suskind sold 1,500 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.60, for a total transaction of $320,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,167 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $676,471.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.33, for a total transaction of $64,899.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 24,719 shares in the company, valued at $5,347,461.27. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 3,386 shares of company stock valued at $725,855. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 5.0% during the third quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 1,032 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $207,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of CME Group by 3.4% during the second quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 1,503 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $278,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of CME Group by 1.7% during the third quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 3,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $605,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Glassman Wealth Services increased its position in shares of CME Group by 11.6% during the second quarter. Glassman Wealth Services now owns 502 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fidelis Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of CME Group by 3.9% during the third quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 85.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Down 0.7 %

NASDAQ:CME opened at $212.00 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.30, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.44. CME Group has a 1-year low of $166.54 and a 1-year high of $221.76. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $210.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $197.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The financial services provider reported $2.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.03% and a return on equity of 11.70%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group will post 9.15 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be paid a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 7th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.51%.

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.