CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME – Get Free Report) rose 7.4% during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $254.02 and last traded at $254.9870. 465,151 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 2,750,870 shares. The stock had previously closed at $237.38.
The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.08. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year.
CME Group Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th were issued a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is 44.37%.
More CME Group News
- Positive Sentiment: CME Group beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, signaling resilient demand for its derivatives and clearing services. CME Group (CME) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
- Positive Sentiment: Trading volume was a key tailwind in the quarter, with one report saying CME posted its second-highest volume ever, helping drive stronger-than-expected results. CME Group Q2 earnings beat, buoyed by second-highest trading volume
- Positive Sentiment: The company also reported operating income of roughly $1.1 billion, underscoring strong profitability in the quarter. CME Group Inc. Reports Strong Financial Results for Q2 2026
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have weighed in on CME. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of CME Group from $310.00 to $260.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen cut CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on CME Group from $323.00 to $273.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $292.12.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, Director William R. Shepard acquired 325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $230.57 per share, with a total value of $74,935.25. Following the acquisition, the director owned 260,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,050,111.94. The trade was a 0.12% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total value of $10,447,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. This represents a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 13.1% in the 2nd quarter. Lederer & Associates Investment Counsel CA now owns 5,424 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,198,000 after buying an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in CME Group by 0.7% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 129,709 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,644,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the period. Perkins Coie Trust Co increased its stake in CME Group by 9.0% in the second quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 2,613 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $577,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. Financial Management Professionals Inc. raised its position in CME Group by 24.7% in the second quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 2,053 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harrell Investment Partners LLC raised its position in CME Group by 2.5% in the second quarter. Harrell Investment Partners LLC now owns 26,479 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,847,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
CME Group Trading Up 6.9%
The stock has a market cap of $91.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.67, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $256.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $281.68.
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.
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