6,000 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME Purchased by Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P.

Key Points

• Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors initiated a 6,000-share CME Group position worth approximately $1.57 million in the third quarter, while institutional investors overall own 87.75% of the company.
• CME Group reported quarterly EPS of $3.02 and revenue of $1.74 billion, beating analyst estimates; revenue increased 10.6% year over year. The company also maintains a $1.30 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.7% yield.
• CME shares opened at $305.98, near their 12-month high of $329.16. Analysts remain mixed, with an average “Hold” rating and a consensus price target of $313.29, while insiders sold $4.38 million of stock over the past 90 days.

Cantor Fitzgerald Investment Advisors L.P. purchased a new stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 6,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,572,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sage Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in 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 valued at $950,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 0.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $216,000. Inlet Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 0.3% during 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 acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atticus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $224,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director Martin Gepsman sold 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $302.50, for a total transaction of $121,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 25,244 shares in the company, valued at $7,636,310. The trade was a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Elizabeth Cook sold 500 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.11, for a total transaction of $140,055.00. Following the sale, the director owned 17,916 shares in the company, valued at $5,018,450.76. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,900 shares of company stock worth $4,377,655 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $305.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The business's 50 day moving average is $276.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $270.49. The company has a market cap of $110.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.24. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $218.31 and a 12 month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.33% and a return on equity of 16.23%. CME Group's quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.68 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 12.31 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. CME Group's payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

CME Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record Q3 performance: CME reported revenue of $1.74 billion, up 10.6% year over year and ahead of the $1.71 billion consensus estimate. Adjusted EPS of $3.02 also exceeded expectations, while average daily volume reached a record 29.4 million contracts. Growth was supported by higher derivatives activity, transaction fees and market-data revenue. CME Group third-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns and operating momentum: CME returned nearly $1 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. Management also highlighted record participation, international volume growth and plans to launch CME Securities Clearing on December 7, potentially expanding its clearing business. CME Securities Clearing launch
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgrade: JPMorgan raised CME from “underweight” to “overweight” and established a $367 price target, implying substantial potential upside. The upgrade reflects confidence in CME’s volume growth and earnings outlook. JPMorgan CME rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst view: UBS raised its price target from $270 to $310 but maintained a “neutral” rating, suggesting analysts see limited near-term upside at the current valuation. UBS CME rating
• Negative Sentiment: Expense concerns and insider selling: The stock initially faced pressure because quarterly expenses disappointed despite the earnings beat. Director Martin Gepsman also sold 400 shares worth $121,000; the relatively small transaction leaves him with approximately 25,244 shares, so its signaling value appears limited. Martin Gepsman insider transaction

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CME shares. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $330.00 target price (up from $295.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $270.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $281.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of CME Group from $267.00 to $245.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CME Group has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $313.29.

About CME Group

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.

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