Piper Sandler Issues Positive Forecast for CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Stock Price

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) had its price target boosted by Piper Sandler from $313.00 to $329.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Marketbeat reports. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CME. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $340.00 to $362.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods initiated coverage on CME Group in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $305.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised CME Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on CME Group from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $309.65.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $296.90 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market cap of $106.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $306.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $285.20. CME Group has a fifty-two week low of $251.90 and a fifty-two week high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $0.02. CME Group had a net margin of 62.45% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.52 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that CME Group will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 10th. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. CME Group’s payout ratio is presently 46.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CME Group news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total transaction of $1,097,120.67. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 7,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,397,597.04. The trade was a 31.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Dennis Suskind sold 748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $224,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $809,700. The trade was a 21.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,539 shares of company stock valued at $2,713,821. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Truist Financial Corp grew its stake in CME Group by 8.9% during the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 70,712 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,106,000 after acquiring an additional 5,773 shares in the last quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 86.0% during the 3rd quarter. Alley Investment Management Company LLC now owns 29,223 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,896,000 after purchasing an additional 13,512 shares during the last quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 85.2% during the 3rd quarter. Elevate Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,519 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,302,000 after purchasing an additional 3,919 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 345.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 237,898 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $64,965,000 after purchasing an additional 184,459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 78.8% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 13,281 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,588,000 after purchasing an additional 5,855 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CME announced it will launch options on Eris SOFR Swap futures on June 16 (pending review), expanding its interest-rate risk management products — a move that can drive trading volumes and fee revenue in rates markets. CME Group to Launch Eris SOFR Swap Options on June 16
• Positive Sentiment: CME is expanding its Equity Index Dividend suite with mid-curve options and new quarterly futures (effective May 11, pending review) — broadening product offering for dividend hedging and likely attracting institutional flow. CME Group to Expand Equity Index Dividend Suite
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $329 and kept an overweight rating — a visible vote of confidence that can improve sentiment and attract buyers given the ~10% implied upside from current levels. Piper Sandler Adjusts Price Target on CME Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings previews from Zacks flag CME as likely to post another beat based on current indicators — supportive for fundamentals but only a preview until actual results are reported. CME Group (CME) Earnings Expected to Grow
• Neutral Sentiment: News that FanDuel is pursuing prediction-market contracts without CME involvement this time is a watch item for product competition but not directly material to CME’s core derivatives franchise. FanDuel Registers New Interest In Prediction Market Contracts
• Negative Sentiment: Reports say the CFTC has launched a probe into suspicious oil futures trading on CME and ICE — regulatory scrutiny could pose operational, compliance and reputational risks if investigations find problems. CFTC launches probe into suspicious oil futures trading on CME, ICE – report
• Negative Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn and Barclays lowered their expectations for CME’s stock price — these analyst downgrades can weigh on sentiment and amplify short-term selling pressure even if fundamentals remain intact. Rothschild & Co Redburn Lowers Expectations Barclays Lowers Expectations

About CME Group

CME Group Inc is a global markets company that operates some of the world’s largest and most liquid derivatives exchanges, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and COMEX. The firm offers futures and options contracts across a broad range of asset classes — including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities and metals — and serves a diverse client base of institutional investors, commercial hedgers, brokers and retail participants.

The company’s core services include electronic trading on the CME Globex platform, central clearing through CME Clearing, and distribution of market data, indexes and analytics.