Rothschild & Co Redburn Issues Positive Forecast for CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Stock Price

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) had its price target raised by Rothschild & Co Redburn from $333.00 to $347.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,MarketScreener reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

CME has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on CME Group from $302.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on CME Group from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on CME Group from $295.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Erste Group Bank raised CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $303.53.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME stock opened at $311.19 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $112.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.88, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.24. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $294.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.66. CME Group has a fifty-two week low of $248.53 and a fifty-two week high of $329.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

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

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given 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 is Tuesday, March 10th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total transaction of $1,300,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 43,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,317,117.55. This represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.90, for a total value of $91,770.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 5,248 shares of company stock worth $1,616,700 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caldwell Trust Co raised its holdings in CME Group by 116.3% during the 3rd quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 64.9% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in shares of CME Group in the third quarter worth about $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of CME Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co Redburn raised its price target on CME to $347 (from $333) while keeping a “neutral” rating — the higher target gives investors more upside potential and likely supported buying interest. Rothschild price-target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Unusually high options activity was flagged on CME, which often precedes directional moves as traders position ahead of catalysts (can amplify short-term upside). Options trading alert
• Neutral Sentiment: CME announced its Q1 2026 earnings release and conference call date (April 22, 2026). The scheduled report is a near-term catalyst that could drive volatility but is routine in itself. Earnings release announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Terry Duffy publicly warned that U.S. government intervention in oil futures would be a “biblical disaster” — a high-profile defense of market integrity that highlights regulatory risk but also positions CME as protective of exchange-based price discovery. FT: US intervention warning
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports for March appear to show zero shares (data likely erroneous or delayed) — no reliable signal from the published short-interest figures. (Market volume remains healthy.)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Ken Vroman (Chief Transformation Officer) sold 5,160 shares (~25.7% of his class holdings) on March 12 for roughly $1.59M. Quiver’s roundup shows multiple executive sales over recent months, which can weigh on sentiment even if sales are often for personal reasons. Insider sale details
• Negative Sentiment: Large institutional rebalancing noted in recent quarters (e.g., UBS AM removed a substantial position in Q4 2025). Big fund flows can add selling pressure or reduce available demand. (Source: Quiver summary in the insider activity report.)

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.