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CHICAGO—Suzanne Sprague, the Chief Operating Officer and Global Head of Clearing at CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME), recently sold a portion of her holdings in the company. According to a regulatory filing, Sprague sold 1,500 shares of CME Group’s Class A common stock on March 3, 2025, at an average price of $256.8329 per share. The total value of the transaction amounted to $385,249. The sale occurred as CME’s stock trades near its 52-week high of $257.78, with the company showing strong momentum, up over 23% in the past six months according to InvestingPro data.
Following this sale, Sprague’s direct ownership of CME Group shares stands at 8,036 shares. This transaction was executed as part of routine financial management by the executive and reflects her ongoing involvement with the company. CME Group, headquartered in Chicago, operates as a global markets company and provides trading platforms for a wide range of asset classes. With a market capitalization of $91.7 billion and a "GOOD" financial health rating from InvestingPro, the company has maintained dividend payments for 23 consecutive years. According to InvestingPro’s Fair Value analysis, the stock appears to be trading near its fair value. For deeper insights into CME’s valuation and growth prospects, investors can access the comprehensive Pro Research Report, available exclusively on InvestingPro.
In other recent news, CME Group has been the focus of several analyst updates following its impressive financial performance. The company reported a record average daily volume of 33.1 million contracts in February, marking a 12% year-over-year increase. Analysts from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods noted that CME Group’s quarterly earnings exceeded expectations, attributing the beat to stronger revenues, increased equity income, and a lower effective tax rate. UBS analyst Alex Kromm raised the price target for CME Group to $290, maintaining a Buy rating, while highlighting the company’s potential for robust trading volumes and fee increases as drivers for future revenue growth.
Citi analysts also adjusted their price target to $265, citing CME Group’s strong volume growth across various sectors. RBC Capital Markets increased its price target to $269, maintaining a Sector Perform rating, following the company’s fourth-quarter results that surpassed expectations. Despite these positive developments, some analysts, like those from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, have maintained a Market Perform rating, reflecting a cautious outlook on trading volume growth due to lighter-than-expected futures volumes.
Moreover, RBC Capital noted potential volume growth drivers such as macroeconomic uncertainty and increased Treasury issuances. The possibility of share buybacks was also mentioned by UBS as a potential catalyst for CME Group’s stock performance. Overall, these updates reflect a generally optimistic outlook from analysts, with several firms raising their price targets and expressing confidence in CME Group’s strategic positioning and market opportunities.
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