QRG Capital Management Inc. Lowers Stake in CME Group Inc. $CME

QRG Capital Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 18.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 15,348 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $18,875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 4.8% during the third quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 11,839 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,199,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Fulcrum Capital LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Capital LLC now owns 42,789 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,561,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. First National Advisers LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 2.5% during the third quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 15,050 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,066,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of CME Group by 138.0% in the third quarter. Arlington Partners LLC now owns 18,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,076,000 after buying an additional 10,894 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc raised its stake in CME Group by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc now owns 107,111 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,940,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total value of $263,530.00. Following the sale, the director owned 1,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,511.23. This represents a 47.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total transaction of $6,738,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,804 shares in the company, valued at $17,737,468.20. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Up 2.5%

Shares of CME opened at $279.44 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $100.77 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company’s fifty day moving average is $274.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $271.84. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $230.19 and a fifty-two week high of $290.79.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.05. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.61% and a net margin of 58.84%.The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.68 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 12th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is 48.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Friday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on CME Group from $310.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on CME Group from $297.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $291.82.

CME Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME plans to add Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) futures — standard and micro contracts — boosting crypto product breadth and capital‑efficient tools for clients; listing targeted for Feb. 9 pending review, which could lift futures trading volumes and fee revenue. CME Group Expands Crypto Futures With Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded CME to “Buy”, signaling constructive analyst sentiment that supports upside and likely helped investor confidence. TD Cowen Upgrades CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) to “Buy”
• Positive Sentiment: CME is introducing a new, smaller silver futures contract to capture surging retail interest in silver — a product move that can broaden participation and boost notional volumes in metals. Silver Gets a Major Upgrade: CME to Launch New Futures as Retail Demand Hits Record Levels
• Neutral Sentiment: Jefferies trimmed its price target slightly (from $304 to $302) but kept a “Buy” rating — modestly lowering upside but still supportive. Jefferies Adjusts Price Target on CME Group
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target by $1 to $319 while retaining an “Overweight” rating — a slight tweak that keeps a bullish stance but marginally lowers modeled upside. Morgan Stanley Lowers CME Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews and coverage notes (e.g., “Here’s What to Expect From CME Group’s Next Earnings Report”) keep focus on volumes/fee trends and macro volatility — useful context but not immediate catalysts. Here’s What to Expect From CME Group’s Next Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Goldman Sachs nudged its target slightly lower (from $265 to $264) and maintains a “Sell” rating — a visible negative outlier that can weigh on sentiment among more cautious investors. Goldman Sachs Adjusts CME Group Price Target

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.