Terrence Duffy Sells 25,000 Shares of CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Stock

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) CEO Terrence Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total value of $6,738,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,737,468.20. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

CME Group Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of CME Group stock traded down $0.63 on Monday, hitting $272.92. The stock had a trading volume of 973,270 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,184,120. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $271.85 and a 200 day moving average of $272.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.28. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $224.62 and a twelve month high of $290.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.05. CME Group had a net margin of 58.84% and a return on equity of 14.61%. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.68 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CME shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on CME Group from $312.00 to $314.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on CME Group from $313.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $296.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $288.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $297.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $290.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jessup Wealth Management Inc grew its position in CME Group by 0.5% during the second quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,969 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in CME Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,453,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $441,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of CME Group by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,062 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.