CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 6,158,003 shares, a growth of 24.4% from the November 30th total of 4,948,926 shares. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,907,748 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,907,748 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days. Currently, 1.7% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on CME. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of CME Group from $288.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on shares of CME Group from $309.00 to $307.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on CME Group from $252.00 to $256.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on CME Group from $264.00 to $263.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of CME Group from $310.00 to $318.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $290.82.

CME Group Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ CME opened at $273.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The stock has a market cap of $98.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.27. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $273.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $272.01. CME Group has a 52-week low of $224.62 and a 52-week high of $290.79.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 58.84% and a return on equity of 14.61%. CME Group’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.68 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that CME Group will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about CME Group

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?

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other news, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total transaction of $263,530.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $287,511.23. This represents a 47.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the firm’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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,737,468.20. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 206.9% during the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 89 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co raised 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of CME Group by 84.3% in the 2nd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.