1,767 Shares in CME Group Inc. $CME Bought by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC bought a new stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $463,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. bought a new stake in CME Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,572,000. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 8.3% during the third quarter. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,628 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $950,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 13,093 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,430,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the period. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $216,000. Finally, Inlet Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Inlet Private Wealth LLC now owns 26,745 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,007,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on CME shares. Weiss Ratings raised CME Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on CME Group from $292.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. CLSA set a $367.00 price target on CME Group in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on CME Group from $281.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $313.29.

CME Group Price Performance

CME stock opened at $305.71 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $277.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $270.74. The stock has a market cap of $109.93 billion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.24. 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 Inc. has a 1 year low of $218.31 and a 1 year high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.03. CME Group had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 63.33%. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.68 earnings per share. CME Group’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 12.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. CME Group’s payout ratio is 42.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, Director Elizabeth Cook sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total transaction of $140,055.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,916 shares in the company, valued at $5,018,450.76. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director William Shepard acquired 293 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $268.76 per share, with a total value of $78,746.68. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 263,289 shares in the company, valued at $70,761,551.64. This represents a 0.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,900 shares of company stock valued at $4,377,655. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record quarterly results: CME reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $1.74 billion, up 10.6% year over year and above the $1.71 billion consensus estimate. EPS of $3.02 also exceeded expectations of $2.99, while average daily volume reached a record 29.4 million contracts. CME third-quarter revenue article
• Positive Sentiment: Crypto derivatives momentum: CME recorded approximately $469.5 billion in crypto derivatives volume during the third quarter, highlighting growing demand for regulated digital-asset products. The company has not separately disclosed crypto revenue, so the direct earnings contribution remains unclear. CME crypto derivatives volume article
• Positive Sentiment: More bullish analyst coverage: JPMorgan upgraded CME from “underweight” to “overweight” and set a $367 price target, citing improving volume and earnings prospects. Wells Fargo also raised its target to $333. JPMorgan CME rating
• Positive Sentiment: Expansion opportunities: CME plans to launch CME Securities Clearing on December 7, potentially broadening its clearing business. Management also highlighted strong participation and international volume growth. CME Securities Clearing article
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation remains debated: UBS lifted its price target from $270 to $310 but retained a “neutral” rating, indicating that much of the improved outlook may already be reflected in the stock. UBS CME rating
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale: Director Martin Gepsman sold 400 shares for approximately $121,000. The transaction reduced his holdings by 1.56%, but he still owns 25,244 shares, limiting the sale’s significance. CME director stock sale

CME Group Profile

CME Group Inc operates global derivatives marketplaces that provide trading, clearing and settlement services for futures and options contracts. Its products cover major asset classes, including interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, agricultural commodities, energy and metals. The company also provides market data, benchmark information and related services used by financial institutions, corporations, producers, investors and other market participants.

CME Group’s exchange portfolio includes CME, the Chicago Board of Trade, the New York Mercantile Exchange and COMEX.