Short Interest in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Drops By 15.6%
by Amy Steele · The Cerbat GemCME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME – Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,213,842 shares, a drop of 15.6% from the December 31st total of 4,995,418 shares. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,106,738 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 2,106,738 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Currently, 1.2% of the shares of the company are short sold.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total value of $6,738,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,737,468.20. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Shepard bought 251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $278.37 per share, with a total value of $69,870.87. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 258,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,017,102.70. This represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Trading of CME Group
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Caldwell Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 116.3% in the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its stake in shares of CME Group by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the third quarter worth about $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several analysts have weighed in on CME shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays increased their price target on CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on CME Group from $320.00 to $319.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.18.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on CME
CME Group Trading Down 0.3%
Shares of CME opened at $289.06 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. CME Group has a 52-week low of $233.66 and a 52-week high of $291.76. The firm has a market cap of $104.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.01, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.27. The business’s fifty day moving average is $275.25 and its 200-day moving average is $272.30.
CME Group Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. CME Group’s payout ratio is 48.45%.
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.