CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Insider Sunil Cutinho Sells 5,000 Shares of Stock

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) insider Sunil Cutinho sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.70, for a total transaction of $1,493,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 20,037 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,985,051.90. This represents a 19.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

CME Group Stock Down 4.7%

NASDAQ:CME opened at $293.48 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $278.65 and a 200-day moving average of $279.51. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $218.31 and a 52 week high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $3.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.68 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on CME Group from $315.00 to $333.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on CME Group from $337.00 to $359.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their target price on CME Group from $281.00 to $321.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $286.00 to $270.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised CME Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $313.29.

Key Headlines Impacting CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME Group reported record third-quarter revenue of approximately $1.74 billion and record average daily volume of 29.4 million contracts. October activity is also tracking at the highest October average daily volume on record, supporting the company’s growth outlook. CME Group Slides as Investors Digest Recent Earnings and Mixed Post-Report Signals
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded CME Group to Rank #2, or “Buy,” citing improving optimism about the company’s earnings prospects. CME Upgraded to Buy: Here’s Why
• Positive Sentiment: Brazilian real futures traded a record daily volume following Brazil’s election, highlighting demand for CME’s products during periods of political and currency-market volatility. CME Group Brazilian Real Futures Set New Daily Volume Record Following Election
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst price targets remain mixed, with a reported median target of $305 and recent targets ranging from $260 to $323, indicating support for the business but limited consensus on near-term upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Investors may be digesting last week’s earnings announcement after a significant share-price run-up. Although results were strong, they may not have exceeded elevated expectations enough to sustain momentum, prompting profit-taking or a valuation reset. CME Group Slides as Investors Digest Recent Earnings and Mixed Post-Report Signals
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Sunil Cutinho sold 5,000 shares worth approximately $1.49 million, reducing his direct holdings by nearly 20%. The transaction is a modest sentiment negative, although one insider sale does not necessarily indicate a change in CME’s fundamentals. Sunil Cutinho Insider Trading Activity

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in CME Group in the second quarter valued at about $6,749,965,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in CME Group during the second quarter worth about $867,313,000. Alphabet Inc. bought a new stake in CME Group during the second quarter worth about $769,376,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in CME Group during the second quarter worth about $629,771,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the second quarter worth approximately $622,679,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

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.