Insider Selling: CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Insider Sells 5,753 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: CME Group insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares on May 18 at an average price of $304.63, totaling about $1.75 million. After the transaction, she still owned 27,702 shares, a 17.2% reduction in her stake.
• Stock and earnings context: CME shares were down 0.9% to $302.37 in recent trading, while the company reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $3.36 versus $3.11 expected and revenue up 14.5% year over year. Analysts currently have a consensus Moderate Buy rating with an average target price of $305.29.
• Dividend and business outlook: CME declared a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share, payable June 25, implying an annualized yield of about 1.7%. The company continues to benefit from activity in derivatives, including crypto and rates products, which may support future volume growth.

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total value of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This represents a 17.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

CME Group Trading Down 0.9%

NASDAQ CME traded down $2.75 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $302.37. The stock had a trading volume of 2,125,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,303,147. The company has a market capitalization of $109.57 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.23. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $297.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $288.46. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $257.17 and a twelve month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.80 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 12.26 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. CME Group's payout ratio is currently 44.37%.

More CME Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME is benefiting from continued investor interest in derivatives tied to crypto and alternatives, including a planned June 8 launch of Nasdaq CME Crypto Index Futures that could broaden institutional trading activity and support volume growth. CME and Nasdaq to Launch Crypto Index Futures on June 8 for Broader Institutional Access
• Positive Sentiment: A separate report noted rising demand in Eris SOFR swap futures at CME, with open interest tripling ahead of an options launch, which points to healthy activity in CME’s rates complex. Eris SOFR Swap Futures Open Interest Triples Ahead of June Eris Options Launch, New Funding Round
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary highlighted CME as a way to gain exposure to volatility and correlation risk, reinforcing the stock’s appeal as a steady exchange franchise in uncertain markets. How Can CME Group (CME) Be an Alternative to Correlation Risk?
• Neutral Sentiment: Intercontinental Exchange’s plan to launch its own compute-power futures underscores that CME is now operating in a new, potentially competitive market around AI infrastructure hedging, though it also validates the opportunity category CME is entering. Nyse’s owner plans its own futures market for computing power
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment may be weighed down by insider selling after CEO Terrence Duffy sold 35,000 shares, a transaction that can signal caution even though the sale was relatively small versus his remaining holdings. CME Group NASDAQ: CME CEO Terrence Duffy Sells 35,000 Shares of Stock

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on CME Group from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Argus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $310.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on CME Group from $342.00 to $322.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $305.29.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. West Family Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in CME Group by 1.2% in the third quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 3,062 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its holdings in CME Group by 64.9% in the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC boosted its holdings in CME Group by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Investment Management Company LLC now owns 11,523 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,147,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group boosted its holdings in CME Group by 4.3% in the third quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 898 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlatl Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in CME Group by 1.8% in the third quarter. Atlatl Advisers LLC now owns 2,126 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $574,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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