CME Group Inc. $CME Stock Sold by Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG

Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG reduced its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 52,604 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,205 shares during the quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG’s holdings in CME Group were worth $13,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the 2nd quarter valued at $6,749,965,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in CME Group by 39.1% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,019,944 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,187,290,000 after acquiring an additional 1,130,587 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $867,313,000. Alphabet Inc. acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $769,376,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $629,771,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.44, for a total value of $4,116,600.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 40,630 shares in the company, valued at $11,150,497.20. This represents a 26.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard bought 293 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $268.76 per share, for a total transaction of $78,746.68. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 263,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,761,551.64. This trade represents a 0.11% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CME has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on CME Group from $249.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded CME Group from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on CME Group from $267.00 to $245.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 30th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on CME Group from $329.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $320.00 target price on shares of CME Group in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.94.

More CME Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect third-quarter revenue of approximately $1.71 billion, up 11.4% year over year, and EPS of about $2.98. International trading volume is reportedly up 22%, while several analysts have raised their price targets ahead of the results. A beat could reinforce the recent positive momentum. CME Group earnings preview
• Positive Sentiment: CME plans to introduce cash-settled tungsten futures during the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approval. The contract could benefit from rising demand for critical minerals and broaden CME’s metals product portfolio. CME tungsten futures launch
• Positive Sentiment: The exchange has begun adding Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures, offering institutional traders regulated tools to hedge or gain exposure to additional digital assets. The launches expand CME’s cryptocurrency derivatives franchise, although demand remains to be proven. CME Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures
• Neutral Sentiment: CME disclosed $460,000 in third-quarter lobbying focused on clearinghouse, derivatives, Treasury futures, digital-asset and tax regulations. The spending may help protect long-term market access, but it has little immediate earnings impact. CME lobbying update
• Negative Sentiment: The CFTC is asking a federal court to dismiss CME’s lawsuit concerning crypto perpetual futures. The unresolved regulatory dispute could delay or limit CME’s ability to expand in this product area. CFTC lawsuit involving CME perpetual futures
• Negative Sentiment: Recent filings show more insider sales than purchases, including sizable sales by Chairman and CEO Terrence Duffy. Although insider transactions do not necessarily reflect operating expectations, they may weigh modestly on sentiment. CME insider trading and institutional activity

CME Group Stock Performance

Shares of CME Group stock traded up $1.52 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $295.05. 1,132,214 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,514,001. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $274.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $270.56. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $218.31 and a 52-week high of $329.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $106.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.03, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.24.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.08. CME Group had a net margin of 63.30% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 12.30 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, September 9th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 9th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.11%.

CME Group Company Profile

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.