Wall Street Zen Upgrades CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) to Hold

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $316.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Thursday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods started coverage on shares of CME Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $305.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of CME Group from $362.00 to $353.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $310.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.71.

CME Group Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of CME stock opened at $269.53 on Friday. CME Group has a 52-week low of $244.56 and a 52-week high of $329.16. The stock has a market cap of $97.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $284.79 and a 200-day moving average of $288.07.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.80 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that CME Group will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,606,111.30. This trade represents a 38.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total transaction of $1,097,120.67. Following the transaction, the general counsel directly owned 7,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,397,597.04. This represents a 31.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 44,044 shares of company stock valued at $13,297,507 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Militia Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in CME Group during the 1st quarter worth about $2,558,000. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. grew its holdings in CME Group by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. FAS Wealth Partners Inc. now owns 16,578 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,896,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 67,317 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,882,000 after acquiring an additional 7,672 shares during the last quarter. First Nebraska Trust Co bought a new stake in CME Group during the 1st quarter worth about $577,000. Finally, Keel Point LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 1,510 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME announced four new E-mini futures contracts tied to broad-market equity benchmarks, plus new Micro E-mini options on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. These launches could attract more trading volume by giving investors additional, lower-cost ways to hedge and gain market exposure. CME Group to Expand Equity Index Suite with Launch of Four New E-mini Futures Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: The company also said it will expand 24/7 trading for WTI crude oil and gold, which could improve price discovery and make CME’s metals and energy products more attractive to global traders operating outside normal market hours. CME Group to Expand 24/7 Trading for WTI Crude Oil and Gold
• Positive Sentiment: CME launched Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures and is moving deeper into digital-asset derivatives, giving investors regulated exposure to major cryptocurrencies and potentially opening another growth avenue for the exchange. CME Group Launches Crypto Index Futures Tracking Bitcoin, Solana and XRP
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for CME, signaling stable earnings expectations rather than a major change in outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary around the CFTC’s crypto oversight has raised concerns about regulatory pressure and market criticism, which could create uncertainty for CME’s expanding crypto-related products. CFTC’s Lone Chair Selig Expands Grip Over Crypto and Prediction Markets

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.