CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Short Interest Update

by · The Cerbat Gem

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME – Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 4,995,418 shares, a decline of 18.9% from the December 15th total of 6,158,003 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,447,462 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,447,462 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen raised shares of CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $290.00 to $305.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on CME Group from $320.00 to $319.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on CME Group from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $291.82.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on CME

CME Group Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded up $6.85 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $279.44. 2,410,026 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,609,797. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $274.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $271.79. CME Group has a one year low of $230.19 and a one year high of $290.79. The company has a market cap of $100.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.08, a P/E/G ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.61% and a net margin of 58.84%.The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CME Group will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.45%.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, Director William R. Shepard acquired 251 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $278.37 per share, with a total value of $69,870.87. Following the acquisition, the director owned 258,710 shares in the company, valued at $72,017,102.70. This represents a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total value of $6,738,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,804 shares in the company, valued at $17,737,468.20. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caldwell Trust Co raised its holdings in CME Group by 116.3% during the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of CME Group by 84.3% during the 2nd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CME Group

(Get Free Report)

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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