Bank of New York Mellon Corp Boosts Stock Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,924,475 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 134,242 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp’s holdings in CME Group were worth $1,344,776,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at $1,523,241,000. Sanders Capital LLC acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,006,932,000. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $636,487,000. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $217,656,000. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the second quarter valued at about $164,648,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CME shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price target on shares of CME Group from $342.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $343.00 to $316.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $313.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (a-)” rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $305.29.

CME Group Stock Down 2.8%

Shares of CME opened at $250.53 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $90.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.21. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $244.56 and a 12 month high of $329.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $292.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.80 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.37%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total value of $10,447,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. This represents a 38.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total value of $1,097,120.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 7,192 shares in the company, valued at $2,397,597.04. The trade was a 31.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 44,044 shares of company stock valued at $13,297,507 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME launched 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options, expanding access for global market participants and potentially boosting volumes in its fast-growing digital-asset franchise. CME Group Announces Launch of 24/7 Cryptocurrency Futures and Options Trading
• Positive Sentiment: The company reported a record May average daily volume of 33.2 million contracts, up 15% year over year, signaling strong customer activity and healthy transaction demand. CME Group May Volume Hits New Record of 33.2 Million Contracts, Up 15% Year Over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Ripple said CME’s new around-the-clock crypto offering reflects strong institutional demand, highlighting CME’s role in regulated digital-asset trading and clearing. Ripple Highlights Institutional XRP Demand as CME Launches 24/7 Crypto Futures
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have recently continued to view CME as an attractive dividend stock, which may help support investor sentiment but does not appear to be a major near-term catalyst. CME Group (CME) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also weighing competitive concerns after a rival U.S. equity-index futures product went live, raising fears of fee pressure and possible market-share loss in CME’s core derivatives franchise. CME slides 5.7% as a new U.S. equity-index futures competitor goes live, raising share-loss fears

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.