Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Acquires 7,336 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 8.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,254 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,336 shares during the quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $26,277,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Jessup Wealth Management Inc raised its position in shares of CME Group by 0.5% in the second quarter. Jessup Wealth Management Inc now owns 7,969 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,197,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in CME Group by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 5,269 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,453,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 2.3% during the first quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 1,661 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $441,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 2.7% in the second quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 1,422 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 2.0% in the second quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $538,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of CME opened at $273.08 on Friday. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $224.62 and a 1-year high of $290.79. The company has a market capitalization of $98.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $273.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $272.01.

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

CME Group Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total value 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 represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the director owned 1,091 shares in the company, valued at $287,511.23. This trade represents a 47.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME again raised precious‑metal margins to contain volatility; that decisive risk‑management reduces the clearinghouse’s tail risk and limits potential balance‑sheet exposure. CME lifts precious-metal margins again after price swings
• Positive Sentiment: A MarketBeat piece highlights ways investors can gain indirect exposure to a sustained metals rally — rising metals volatility (and eventual rebounds) can drive futures volume and clearing fees at CME over time. Gold, Silver, and Copper Are Surging—Here Are 3 Smart Ways to Play It (CME)
• Neutral Sentiment: Opinion/analysis piece arguing the CME’s large margin hikes function as a bailout for forced liquidations rather than a market crash — useful context on market mechanics but mixed implications for CME’s franchise. The Comex Liquidation: Why The CME’s $25K Margin Hike Is A Bailout, Not A Crash – The China Ban Decoupling
• Neutral Sentiment: Mining press coverage noting another round of margin hikes; reiterates that CME is reacting to extreme price swings — impact on short‑term volumes is uncertain. CME hikes precious-metal margins again after price swings
• Neutral Sentiment: Small‑cap fundraising news for Clarity Metals — unrelated to CME’s operations; included in the feed but unlikely to affect CME’s stock. Clarity Metals Raises $1.12 Million as Private Placement Closes
• Negative Sentiment: The Hindu BusinessLine reports CME’s margin hikes hit the precious‑metals complex and silver took the biggest hit — immediate price collapse in silver can depress trading activity and short‑term fee revenue for CME. CME Group raises margins for precious metals complex; silver takes the biggest hit
• Negative Sentiment: WSJ coverage describes silver trading like a “meme stock,” highlighting erratic flows and big retail/speculative participation that prompted the clearing response — a volatile environment that pressures short‑term revenues. Silver Is Trading Like a Meme Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple market outlets report sharp silver price falls immediately after CME raised margins again — represents the direct market reaction investors are pricing into CME shares today. Silver falls steeply after CME raises margins further
• Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch bulletin: silver prices dropped sharply after margin increases — signals lower trading turnover and heightened short‑term uncertainty for futures platforms like CME. Silver prices falling sharply after CME lifts trading margin requirements again
• Negative Sentiment: Economic Times: Indian MCX silver plunged and ETFs corrected; analysts point to CME margin hikes and thin holiday liquidity — illustrates the global knock‑on effects of CME’s actions on physical and ETF markets. MCX Silver price crashes Rs 22,000 in 3 days, ETF nosedives 11%. Is the multibagger rally over?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on CME Group from $313.00 to $304.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of CME Group from $264.00 to $263.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $310.00 to $318.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Argus decreased their target price on shares of CME Group from $308.00 to $295.00 in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $288.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $290.82.

CME Group Company Profile

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.