CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Price Target Increased to $233.00 by Analysts at Morgan Stanley

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $210.00 to $233.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 2.54% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $235.00 price objective on shares of CME Group in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $193.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $220.07.

CME Group Price Performance

CME stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $227.23. 1,816,819 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,945,543. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The company has a market cap of $81.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $216.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.28. CME Group has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $230.12.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $2.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.53 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 12.82% and a net margin of 56.98%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.30 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that CME Group will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In other news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Sunday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total transaction of $163,610.46. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Sunday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total transaction of $163,610.46. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 13,261 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of CME Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CME. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in CME Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in CME Group by 66.1% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC grew its position in CME Group by 515.2% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its stake in CME Group by 62.2% during the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 193 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is 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.