Bleakley Financial Group LLC Decreases Stake in CME Group Inc. $CME

Bleakley Financial Group LLC lessened its stake in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 16.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,325 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 3,973 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $5,492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in CME Group by 11.5% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,027 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,660,000 after acquiring an additional 1,037 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in shares of CME Group by 230.7% in the second quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 3,611 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $995,000 after purchasing an additional 2,519 shares during the period. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 7.4% in the second quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 60.3% during the second quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 6,863 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,891,000 after purchasing an additional 2,581 shares during the period. Finally, MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ CME opened at $308.09 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.61, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $283.19 and a 200 day moving average of $274.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. CME Group Inc. has a twelve month low of $246.91 and a twelve month high of $309.35.

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

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be given a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.80%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, Director William R. Shepard acquired 251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $278.37 per share, with a total value of $69,870.87. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 258,710 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,017,102.70. This trade represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Dennis Suskind sold 748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $224,400.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $809,700. This trade represents a 21.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 26,048 shares of company stock valued at $7,054,920. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on CME. Raymond James Financial reduced their price target on shares of CME Group from $311.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their target price on shares of CME Group from $300.00 to $333.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $310.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on CME Group from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on CME Group from $304.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $299.53.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME’s formal announcement to offer 24/7 trading for crypto futures and options — a move that addresses the timing gap with always‑on spot crypto markets and could lift ADV and fee revenue; the company cited record crypto notional volume in 2025. CME Group to Launch 24/7 Cryptocurrency Futures and Options Trading on May 29
• Positive Sentiment: Widespread coverage emphasizes the practical impacts — continuous trading can reduce “CME gaps,” boost institutional flow and expand crypto derivatives ADV, supporting the bullish thesis for trading‑fee growth. CME targets May launch for 24/7 crypto derivatives trading
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/fin‑media bullishness — some outlets include CME among top picks, arguing the firm converts market volatility into trading revenue, which supports the stock’s rally. 2 Best Stocks to Buy Right Now for February
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/market context — broader market moves (small‑cap rotation and sector flows) could be influencing intraday moves in financials/exchanges but are not specific to CME’s fundamentals. Small Caps Stage Quiet Comeback As AI Trade Shows Cracks
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data appears immaterial or inconsistent (no meaningful change reported); it isn’t currently signaling a large positioning risk.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — director Martin J. Gepsman sold 300 shares; small in size but noteworthy as a disclosed insider sale. Insider Sale: Martin J. Gepsman
• Negative Sentiment: Critical takeaways — at least one outlet warns of risks to the CME thesis (valuation and competitive/operational risks), which could temper enthusiasm if amplified by further negative coverage. 2 Reasons CME is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

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.