CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Upgraded by Erste Group Bank to Strong-Buy Rating

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) was upgraded by Erste Group Bank from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on CME Group from $264.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $304.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $262.00 to $266.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $302.71.

CME Group Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $316.81 on Thursday. CME Group has a 1 year low of $248.53 and a 1 year high of $329.16. The company has a market cap of $114.24 billion, a PE ratio of 28.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $291.37 and its 200 day moving average is $277.29.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 62.45%.The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.52 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CME Group will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 65,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,737,468.20. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Dennis Suskind sold 748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $224,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,699 shares in the company, valued at $809,700. The trade was a 21.70% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 30,248 shares of company stock valued at $8,355,450. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CME. Caldwell Trust Co grew its position in CME Group by 116.3% during the 3rd 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 lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 64.9% in the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CME Group News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on CME to $356, an analyst upgrade that supports a higher valuation and likely contributed to recent buying and the stock reaching a new 1‑year high. Analyst upward revisions can lend momentum and justify higher multiples for CME. Jefferies Boosts CME Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: CME also hit a new one‑year high following that analyst upgrade, signaling strong near‑term demand and positive sentiment among investors. That price peak may have increased visibility and trading in the shares. CME Hits New 1‑Year High
• Neutral Sentiment: Argus reiterated a “hold” rating on CME, a neutral endorsement that neither materially changes the sell‑side narrative nor provides a clear catalyst for price movement. Argus Hold Reaffirmed
• Neutral Sentiment: Crypto market commentary points to a potential Bitcoin move toward $80k and references an unfilled CME gap; if realized, stronger crypto prices could lift CME’s crypto‑futures volumes, but this outcome is uncertain and timing is unclear. Investors should view this as a possible upside to derivatives volumes rather than a guaranteed driver. Bitcoin Signals $80K Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data published for early March shows anomalous values (reported as 0 shares and NaN increases). The figures appear erroneous or incomplete, so they should not be treated as evidence of increased bearish positioning until corrected data is released. (No reliable source link available in the entry.)

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.