CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

04 Jan 2026, 09:44 by Tristan Rich · The Markets Daily

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME – Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eighteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $290.8235.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on CME shares. Barclays upped their target price on shares of CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of CME Group from $264.00 to $263.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Argus reduced their target price on CME Group from $308.00 to $295.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on CME Group from $285.00 to $280.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd.

Read Our Latest Analysis on CME Group

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CME opened at $269.68 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $273.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $272.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $97.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.27. CME Group has a 12-month low of $224.62 and a 12-month high of $290.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.68 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that CME Group will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 48.45%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,737,468.20. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director William R. Shepard bought 251 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $278.37 per share, for a total transaction of $69,870.87. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 258,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,017,102.70. The trade was a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Webster Bank N. A. boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 206.9% in the 2nd quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 89 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co lifted its position in CME Group by 116.3% in the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in CME Group by 84.3% during the second quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new position in CME Group during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at $28,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About CME Group

(Get Free Report)

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.