CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Reaches New 1-Year High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The company traded as high as $296.16 and last traded at $293.07, with a volume of 3975588 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $290.77.

The financial services provider reported $2.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.61% and a net margin of 58.84%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.52 EPS.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat and record annual metrics — CME reported Q4 non‑GAAP EPS of $2.77 (vs. ~$2.75 est.) and revenue around $1.65B; management said 2025 produced record annual revenue and adjusted earnings. This confirms durable profitability and supports the rally. PR Newswire: CME Group Inc. Reports Fourth Consecutive Year of Record Annual Revenue…
• Positive Sentiment: Record trading volumes/ADV — January set a record 29.6M contracts (up 15% YoY) and the company reported its highest-ever ADV in several product categories, boosting fee-related revenue. Strong volumes underpin near-term revenue growth. PR Newswire: CME Group January Volume Sets New Record…
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance and product expansion — Management targets a 1%–1.5% revenue lift from fee adjustments and is expanding 24/7 crypto and securities clearing, which could open new fee pools and justify multiple expansion if uptake continues. MSN: CME Group targets 1%–1.5% revenue lift…
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/flow tailwinds — Reuters and other outlets noted higher hedging demand lifted trading activity and profit, reinforcing that market structure and client flows are supporting revenue this quarter. Reuters: Derivatives exchange CME’s profit rises as hedging demand lifts trading volume
• Neutral Sentiment: Exploring a proprietary token and tokenized cash pilot — CEO Terry Duffy said CME is studying a CME‑issued token and is piloting tokenized cash infrastructure with Google. This signals strategic optionality into tokenization but also introduces regulatory and execution uncertainty. Cointelegraph: CME CEO Duffy says exchange is exploring issuing its own token
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage and targets generally supportive — multiple firms maintain buy/overweight ratings and median price targets sit above current levels, which can prop up sentiment but are not guarantees of upside. QuiverQuant: CME Releases Q4 2025 Earnings (includes analyst notes)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling activity — filings show notable insider sales in recent months, which can be read as a modest negative signal for sentiment even though institutional holdings remain large. QuiverQuant: CME Releases Q4 2025 Earnings (insider transaction details)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CME has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of CME Group from $307.00 to $311.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $296.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America upped their price objective on CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, TD Cowen raised CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $292.18.

Insider Activity

In other CME Group news, Director William R. Shepard purchased 251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $278.37 per share, with a total value of $69,870.87. Following the purchase, the director owned 258,710 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,017,102.70. The trade was a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total value of $6,738,750.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 65,804 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,737,468.20. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CME Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CME. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,660,000 after buying an additional 1,037 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the second quarter worth approximately $141,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 140.0% during the second quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $599,000 after acquiring an additional 1,268 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 20.2% during the second quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 1,121 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $309,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Country Club Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $276.15 and a 200-day moving average of $272.67. The company has a market cap of $106.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.55, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12.

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.