SG Americas Securities LLC Acquires 61,457 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 25.8% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 299,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 61,457 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $88,414,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CME. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in CME Group by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 191.9% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME stock opened at $246.38 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $279.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $287.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $244.56 and a 12-month high of $329.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.21.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,606,111.30. This trade represents a 38.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total transaction of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 27,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,438,860.26. This represents a 17.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the topic of several recent research reports. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on CME Group from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $316.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Piper Sandler set a $320.00 target price on CME Group in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on CME Group from $275.00 to $267.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on CME Group from $343.00 to $316.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.18.

Key Headlines Impacting CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME continues to be highlighted as a dividend and value stock, with analysts noting its strong capital returns, electronic trading growth, and global product expansion could support a long-term rebound. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: One market note said CME may be undervalued after the CEO succession announcement, suggesting the stock could have upside if investors view the leadership transition as orderly. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: CME named longtime finance chief Julie Winkler as its next CEO, while Terry Duffy will step into an executive chairman role; the move appears planned and may reduce uncertainty, but it also marks a major leadership change. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is also taking legal action against the CFTC over approval of perpetual crypto futures, arguing the products should be treated as swaps rather than futures. The case could affect CME’s role in crypto derivatives, but the financial impact is still uncertain. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs kept a Sell rating on CME and trimmed its price target, citing leadership transition risk and regulatory uncertainty, which may be weighing on sentiment. Article Title

CME Group Company Profile

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.