CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Reaches New 1-Year High - What's Next?

Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $283.11 and last traded at $282.56, with a volume of 1510482 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $280.45.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on CME Group from $275.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $269.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 11th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $265.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their target price on CME Group from $279.00 to $283.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $256.80.

CME Group Trading Up 0.8 %

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $264.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $245.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $102.47 billion, a PE ratio of 29.41, a P/E/G ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. The company had revenue of $1.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.50 EPS. CME Group's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 9th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is presently 50.30%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $2,888,378.64. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 21,885 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,453,085.45. This represents a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Suzanne Sprague sold 1,500 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.83, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 8,036 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,063,885.88. The trade was a 15.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,726 shares of company stock worth $8,975,813. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in CME Group by 4.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 419,532 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $92,570,000 after purchasing an additional 17,508 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 120.3% in the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 225.6% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,335 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 925 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 61,934 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $13,666,000 after buying an additional 168 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 8,013 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,861,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Company Profile

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.