Martin Gepsman Sells 300 Shares of CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Stock

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Director Martin Gepsman sold 300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.90, for a total transaction of $91,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 24,999 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,647,194.10. This trade represents a 1.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

CME Group Price Performance

CME traded up $3.05 on Friday, hitting $306.96. 1,130,579 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,161,496. CME Group Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $246.91 and a fifty-two week high of $309.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.27. The business’s fifty day moving average is $282.49 and its 200 day moving average is $274.70.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 62.45%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.52 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 10th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.80%.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME’s formal launch of round‑the‑clock cryptocurrency futures and options (May 29 start, pending review) should increase trading hours, attract more institutional flow, and reduce timing arbitrage — a clear growth lever for derivatives fee income. CME Group to Launch 24/7 Cryptocurrency Futures and Options Trading on May 29
• Positive Sentiment: Market coverage and crypto media emphasize the operational impact — closing the “CME gap” and supporting stronger ADV (year‑to‑date crypto ADV has been running well ahead of last year), reinforcing the narrative that CME can capture more digital-asset flow. CME targets May launch for 24/7 crypto derivatives trading
• Positive Sentiment: Broker/retail commentary is bullish — some outlets cite CME as a top pick for converting market unpredictability into higher profits, reinforcing investor interest in the stock as a durable cash-flow machine. 2 Best Stocks to Buy Right Now for February
• Neutral Sentiment: The operational rollout includes a weekly maintenance window and next‑day settlement/reporting for weekend/holiday trades — manageable but requires systems and regulatory coordination; approval risk remains. CME Group to launch 24/7 crypto futures trading on Globex
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in this filing is inconsistent/insubstantial (shows zero), so there’s no clear short-flow signal affecting intraday moves. (Data likely not meaningful.)
• Negative Sentiment: At least one piece highlights risks to owning CME — valuation, slower growth outside crypto, and competition — suggesting downside if crypto volume disappoints or if regulatory approvals are delayed. 2 Reasons CME is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CME. Caldwell Trust Co increased its stake in CME Group by 116.3% in 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 last quarter. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in CME Group by 64.9% in the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on CME. Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $300.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of CME Group from $311.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $295.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $296.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CME Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.53.

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.