CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) CEO Terrence A. Duffy Sells 40,000 Shares

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 40,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.91, for a total transaction of $8,436,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 67,455 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,226,934.05. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

CME Group Price Performance

NASDAQ CME opened at $208.07 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $175.73 and a 12-month high of $223.80. The company has a market capitalization of $74.90 billion, a PE ratio of 23.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 0.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $214.51 and its 200-day moving average is $211.67.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 56.84% and a return on equity of 12.45%. The company had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.42 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 9.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. CME Group’s payout ratio is presently 52.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $210.00 price target (down previously from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $216.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $217.80.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gold Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in CME Group during the third quarter worth $25,000. Northwest Financial Advisors acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in CME Group by 966.7% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.