Investors Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on CME Group (NASDAQ:CME)

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 8,099 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 129% compared to the average volume of 3,537 call options.

CME Group Stock Performance

CME traded up $14.17 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $251.55. 1,633,443 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,759,275. CME Group has a one year low of $218.31 and a one year high of $329.16. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $256.83 and its 200 day moving average is $281.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The firm has a market cap of $91.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.25.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that CME Group will post 12.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director William R. Shepard bought 325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $230.57 per share, for a total transaction of $74,935.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 260,442 shares in the company, valued at approximately $60,050,111.94. This trade represents a 0.12% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total transaction of $1,752,536.39. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares in the company, valued at $8,438,860.26. The trade was a 17.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CME Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Dedication LLC increased its position in 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 during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 2,075.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on CME shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of CME Group from $342.00 to $322.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen decreased their price target 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Twelve investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $292.12.

Trending Headlines about CME Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME Group beat Q2 expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $2.99 versus estimates around $2.91-$2.94 and revenue of about $1.71 billion, slightly above forecasts. CME GROUP ($CME) Releases Q2 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Management said the first half of 2026 was the strongest in company history for revenue, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, and adjusted diluted EPS, reinforcing bullish sentiment. CME Group jumps after Q2 earnings beat and strong trading activity
• Positive Sentiment: Trading activity remained robust, with second-quarter average daily volume of 29.8 million contracts and record market data revenue of $238 million, suggesting strong demand for hedging and market access. CME Group jumps after Q2 earnings beat and strong trading activity
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy options activity was also reported, with investors buying 8,099 call options, about 129% above normal, which signals increased speculation and interest in further upside. CME stock is up 7% today. Here’s what we see in our data.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to view CME favorably overall, with recent price targets still clustering well above the current share price, though a few firms have trimmed targets recently. $CME stock is up 7% today. Here’s what we see in our data.

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.