CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.03 EPS

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. CME Group’s revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.25 earnings per share.

CME Group Price Performance

CME traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $227.29. 67,374 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,929,322. CME Group has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $230.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.84 billion, a PE ratio of 25.87, a P/E/G ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $218.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $208.66.

CME Group Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $219.00 to $231.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on CME Group from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $235.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on CME Group from $228.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $221.20.

Insider Activity

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

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.