Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Raises CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Price Target to $213.00

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) had its price objective hoisted by Keefe, Bruyette & Woods from $212.00 to $213.00 in a report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a market perform rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on CME Group from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a hold rating and issued a $210.00 price objective (down from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $212.64.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME stock opened at $200.54 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $199.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market cap of $72.21 billion, a PE ratio of 22.81, a P/E/G ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 0.52. CME Group has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $223.80.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 56.98%. The business’s revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that CME Group will post 9.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 7th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.29%. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CME Group news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,399,936.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other CME Group news, Director Charles P. Carey sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.44, for a total transaction of $586,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 7,163 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,399,936.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel R. Glickman sold 650 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.44, for a total value of $130,936.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 14,008 shares in the company, valued at $2,821,771.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 14,290 shares of company stock valued at $2,957,300. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gold Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new position in CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 966.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 66.1% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.