What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for CME Group Q3 Earnings?

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of CME Group in a note issued to investors on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $2.82 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.81. The consensus estimate for CME Group’s current full-year earnings is $10.49 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CME Group’s FY2026 earnings at $11.62 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.45 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $12.43 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on CME. Argus lowered their target price on shares of CME Group from $308.00 to $295.00 in a research report on Friday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on CME Group from $264.00 to $263.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 4th. Bank of America upped their price target on CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $291.06.

CME Group Price Performance

CME Group stock opened at $268.45 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $273.98 and a two-hundred day moving average of $271.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The company has a market cap of $96.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.27. CME Group has a one year low of $225.46 and a one year 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.68 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Webster Bank N. A. raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 206.9% during the 2nd quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 89 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 116.3% during the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new stake in CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total transaction of $6,738,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,737,468.20. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the company’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 transaction of $263,530.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $287,511.23. This trade represents a 47.82% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.45%.

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.