Citigroup Boosts CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Price Target to $250.00

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) had its target price boosted by Citigroup from $240.00 to $250.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

CME has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and set a $235.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler reissued an overweight rating and set a $225.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research note on Tuesday, August 20th. Bank of America upped their price target on CME Group from $177.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $208.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, September 26th. They set a hold rating and a $221.00 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $213.77.

CME Group Stock Up 0.1 %

CME opened at $224.43 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $212.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $207.69. The company has a market capitalization of $80.81 billion, a PE ratio of 25.53, a PEG ratio of 8.74 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $226.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 56.98%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.30 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CME Group will post 9.94 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Investors of record on Monday, September 9th were given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Sunday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total transaction of $163,610.46. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at $2,877,504.39. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was 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 $11,932,706.13. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CME Group

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in CME Group in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 66.1% during the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 515.2% during the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. 87.75% of the stock is 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.