Jefferies Financial Group Boosts CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Price Target to $356.00

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) had its target price raised by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $302.00 to $356.00 in a research report issued on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 9.49% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on CME. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Barclays increased their target price on CME Group from $304.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on CME Group from $319.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on CME Group from $264.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on CME Group from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $302.71.

CME Group Price Performance

CME opened at $325.13 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $289.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $276.71. The company has a market capitalization of $117.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.13, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.24. CME Group has a 12-month low of $248.53 and a 12-month high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $0.02. CME Group had a net margin of 62.45% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.52 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that CME Group will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total value of $1,300,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 43,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,317,117.55. This trade represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total value of $6,738,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,804 shares in the company, valued at $17,737,468.20. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,248 shares of company stock worth $8,355,450 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CME. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 11.5% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,660,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in shares of CME Group by 43.1% during the 2nd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 3,159 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 951 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in CME Group by 83.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 329 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $91,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in CME Group by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 3,299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $909,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. grew its holdings in CME Group by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 538 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME reported a new monthly ADV record of 37.6 million contracts in February (up 14% YoY), driven by record activity in rates, agriculture and international products — this supports recurring fee revenue and higher near-term trading revenue. CME Group Sets New Monthly ADV Record
• Positive Sentiment: Dairy futures and options hit new open-interest and monthly ADV records (OI 403,113 contracts; monthly ADV 11,234 contracts), highlighting product-level growth and diversification of volume sources. CME Group Reaches New Open Interest and Volume Records in Dairy Futures and Options
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $356 and kept a Buy rating, signaling analyst confidence and implying upside vs. recent levels. That upgrade can support investor demand and sentiment. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target on CME Group
• Neutral Sentiment: CME presented prepared remarks at the Raymond James Institutional Investor Conference — investor outreach with management commentary can help clarify strategy but typically has limited immediate impact. CME Presents at Raymond James Conference
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes CME has outperformed the Dow over the past year and analysts remain moderately optimistic — useful context for positioning but not a direct catalyst. Is CME Group Stock Outperforming the Dow?
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in the feed shows 0 shares/NaN changes and 0 days-to-cover — this appears to be a data anomaly and is not meaningful for positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: The exchange rejected compensation demands from at least two natural-gas traders after a technical glitch that disrupted trading during settlement pricing — the dispute raises reputational, operational and potential regulatory/legal risk. CME Rebuffs Traders Seeking to Recoup Losses From Outage
• Negative Sentiment: Bitcoin futures demand has slid toward 2024 lows, which could depress volumes and fees from crypto-linked products if the trend continues — though CME still shows sizable open interest in crypto. Bitcoin futures demand falls to 2024 lows

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.