Rep. Julie Johnson Sells CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Stock

Representative Julie Johnson (D-Texas) recently sold shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME). In a filing disclosed on January 15th, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in CME Group stock on December 18th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “CHASE BROKERAGE ACCOUNT (3935)” account.

Representative Julie Johnson also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Dover (NYSE:DOV) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) on 12/18/2025.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) on 12/18/2025.

CME Group Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $279.44 on Monday. CME Group Inc. has a 52-week low of $230.19 and a 52-week high of $290.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $274.20 and a 200 day moving average of $271.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.27. 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 (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.61% and a net margin of 58.84%.The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CME has been the subject of several research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Argus decreased their target price on shares of CME Group from $308.00 to $295.00 in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on CME Group from $297.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $291.82.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William R. Shepard bought 251 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $278.37 per share, with a total value of $69,870.87. Following the purchase, the director owned 258,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,017,102.70. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total transaction of $263,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $287,511.23. The trade was a 47.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key CME Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME plans to add Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) futures — standard and micro contracts — boosting crypto product breadth and capital‑efficient tools for clients; listing targeted for Feb. 9 pending review, which could lift futures trading volumes and fee revenue. CME Group Expands Crypto Futures With Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded CME to “Buy”, signaling constructive analyst sentiment that supports upside and likely helped investor confidence. TD Cowen Upgrades CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) to “Buy”
• Positive Sentiment: CME is introducing a new, smaller silver futures contract to capture surging retail interest in silver — a product move that can broaden participation and boost notional volumes in metals. Silver Gets a Major Upgrade: CME to Launch New Futures as Retail Demand Hits Record Levels
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed its price target slightly (from $304 to $302) but kept a “Buy” rating — modestly lowering upside but still supportive. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target on CME Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target by $1 to $319 while retaining an “Overweight” rating — a slight tweak that keeps a bullish stance but marginally lowers modeled upside. Morgan Stanley Lowers CME Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews and coverage notes (e.g., “Here’s What to Expect From CME Group’s Next Earnings Report”) keep focus on volumes/fee trends and macro volatility — useful context but not immediate catalysts. Here’s What to Expect From CME Group’s Next Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs nudged its target slightly lower (from $265 to $264) and maintains a “Sell” rating — a visible negative outlier that can weigh on sentiment among more cautious investors. Goldman Sachs Adjusts CME Group Price Target

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Tower Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 1,915 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. BayBridge Capital Group LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. BayBridge Capital Group LLC now owns 940 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in shares of CME Group by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 65,905 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,997,000 after buying an additional 2,829 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,493 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $681,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Representative Johnson

Julie Johnson (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2025. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Julie Johnson earned a B.A. in history and government from the University of Texas at Austin in 1987 and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center in 1991. Johnson’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

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.