CME Group Inc. $CME Stock Holdings Lowered by Ascent Group LLC

Ascent Group LLC cut its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 42.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,854 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,559 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $3,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Webster Bank N. A. raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 206.9% during the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 89 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in CME Group by 84.3% during the 2nd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Ransom Advisory Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 59.2% in the 2nd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total value of $263,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,511.23. The trade was a 47.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 65,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,737,468.20. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME opened at $273.08 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $273.61 and its 200-day moving average is $272.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company has a market capitalization of $98.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.28. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $224.62 and a fifty-two week high of $290.79.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 58.84% and a return on equity of 14.61%. CME Group’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.68 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.45%.

Key CME Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME’s margin and risk‑management moves bolster the clearinghouse’s resilience and limit systemic risk, which is a long‑term positive for the firm’s franchise value. CME hikes precious-metal margins again after price swings
• Positive Sentiment: Precious‑metals futures saw big inflows through 2025, which historically raised CME’s volumes and fee revenue during the rally—helpful for underlying revenues if volatility persists. Gold, Silver, and Copper Are Surging—Here Are 3 Smart Ways to Play It (CME)
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage is lukewarm—CME carries an average “Hold” rating from analysts, so there’s no strong analyst catalyst lifting the stock. CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Crypto derivatives competition: Binance recently topped CME in bitcoin‑futures open interest, highlighting competitive pressure in a growth area for CME (could limit upside in crypto‑related revenue). Binance Tops CME in Bitcoin Futures Open Interest Amid Institutional Selloffs
• Negative Sentiment: Immediate market impact: CME’s margin hikes sparked sharp silver and metals selloffs, cutting trading liquidity and creating a short‑term headwind to futures volumes and fee income. That market reaction is the main driver of today’s downside. Silver falls steeply after CME raises margins further

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on CME. Barclays boosted their target price on CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on CME Group from $313.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on CME Group from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Citigroup raised CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $275.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Monday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $290.82.

About CME Group

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.