CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Director William R. Shepard Purchases 60 Shares

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

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ CME opened at $232.71 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $233.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $219.51. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $190.70 and a 12-month high of $249.02. The company has a market capitalization of $83.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.93 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.25 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.2 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th were given a $5.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 27th. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous dividend of $2.50. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.37%.

CME Group announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, December 5th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CME shares. Barclays lifted their price target on CME Group from $231.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen began coverage on CME Group in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. They set a “hold” rating and a $221.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler increased their price target on CME Group from $250.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup downgraded CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $229.27.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

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

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.