CME Group’s (CME) Sell Rating Reaffirmed at Rosenblatt Securities

Rosenblatt Securities reiterated their sell rating on shares of CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) in a report published on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $187.00 target price on the financial services provider’s stock, up from their prior target price of $185.00.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reiterated a market perform rating and issued a $229.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $222.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 9th. Barclays increased their price target on CME Group from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $217.80.

CME Group Stock Down 0.0 %

CME stock opened at $212.54 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. CME Group has a fifty-two week low of $175.73 and a fifty-two week high of $223.80. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $214.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $211.93. The stock has a market cap of $76.51 billion, a PE ratio of 24.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.97 and a beta of 0.49.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 56.84% and a return on equity of 12.45%. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.42 EPS. CME Group’s revenue was up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CME Group will post 9.58 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. CME Group’s payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CME. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 25.5% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,543 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 516 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,147 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $630,000 after purchasing an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $298,000. CX Institutional boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 590.1% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 14,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,965,000 after acquiring an additional 12,664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $462,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.