CME Group (CME) Set to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) is scheduled to announce its earnings results before the market opens on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $2.44 per share for the quarter. Investors that wish to register for the company's conference call can do so using this link.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.10. CME Group had a net margin of 57.83% and a return on equity of 12.32%. The company had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.92 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect CME Group to post $10 EPS for the current fiscal year and $10 EPS for the next fiscal year.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CME traded up $1.94 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $208.42. 1,852,802 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,773,274. CME Group has a 52 week low of $175.73 and a 52 week high of $223.80. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $75.03 billion, a PE ratio of 23.50, a PEG ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.49. The company's 50 day moving average price is $214.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $211.63.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $1.15 per share. This is an increase from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. CME Group's payout ratio is currently 51.86%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SageView Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,888 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $801,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares during the last quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $3,561,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 528 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $111,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at about $386,000. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of CME Group by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 54,360 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,448,000 after buying an additional 2,076 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 9th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of CME Group from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $195.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $210.00 price objective (down from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $215.70.

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.