Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Reduces Stock Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lessened its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 6.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,858 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,647 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in CME Group were worth $14,981,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caldwell Trust Co increased its position in CME Group by 116.3% during the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in CME Group by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new position in CME Group during the third quarter worth about $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates lifted its position in CME Group by 1,250.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CME has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on CME Group from $313.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their target price on CME Group from $340.00 to $316.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on CME Group from $275.00 to $267.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $305.29.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME Group stock opened at $288.34 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $302.15 and its 200-day moving average is $287.14. The company has a market cap of $104.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $257.17 and a 12 month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.80 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.26 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Dennis Suskind sold 748 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $224,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,699 shares in the company, valued at approximately $809,700. This trade represents a 21.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total value of $1,300,530.00. Following the sale, the director owned 43,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,317,117.55. The trade was a 8.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,539 shares of company stock valued at $2,713,821. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME executed first trades in newly launched Avalanche (AVAX) and Sui (SUI) futures, showing immediate client uptake for additional crypto products and potential new fee streams. CME Group Announces First Trades of New Avalanche and Sui Cryptocurrency Futures
• Positive Sentiment: CME plans to launch CFTC?regulated Bitcoin Volatility futures on June 1 (pending review), giving institutions an on?shore tool to trade implied BTC volatility — a differentiated product that can attract options/volatility flow and increase non?trade revenues. CME Group to Launch Bitcoin Volatility Futures Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: CME launched the U.S. dollar RepoFunds Rate benchmark (RFR USD), expanding market data and benchmark offerings that can generate subscription/licensing revenue and strengthen institutional ties. CME Group Launches New Benchmark to Track Overnight Funding Costs
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and industry commentary highlight exchanges (including CME) as beneficiaries of rising crypto adoption, higher trading volumes, and diversification into data/technology services — supportive for longer?term multiple expansion. 5 Stocks to Watch From the Prospering Securities & Exchanges Industry
• Neutral Sentiment: Crypto market moves (e.g., renewed Bitcoin strength) can lift CME volumes and open interest, indirectly supporting revenues — but the magnitude depends on sustained retail/institutional flow. Bitcoin (BTC) Surges to $81,300
• Negative Sentiment: Some headlines noted a short?term dip in CME shares following the Bitcoin volatility futures announcement, reflecting profit?taking and investor caution around new product execution and regulatory timing. CME Group (CME) Stock Dips Ahead of Bitcoin Volatility Futures Debut in June

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.