CME Group (NASDAQ:CME – Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $3.36 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 62.45% and a return on equity of 14.65%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.80 EPS.
CME Group Trading Down 1.6%
CME stock opened at $279.72 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $100.31 billion, a PE ratio of 25.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.26. CME Group has a one year low of $251.90 and a one year high of $329.16. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $305.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $285.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a current ratio of 1.03.
CME Group Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 10th. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.59%.
CME Group News Roundup
- Positive Sentiment: Record revenue and volume-driven growth: management reported ~$1.9B revenue and 36.2M daily contracts (+22% y/y), highlighting continued strength in derivatives flow that supports fee revenue and margins. CME Group Inc. Reports Record Revenue, Adjusted Operating Income, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings Per Share for Q1 2026
- Positive Sentiment: Strong profitability metrics: operating income (~$1.3B) and net margin remained robust, supporting high free cash flow and dividend/capital-return capacity. View Press Release
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst expectations and price targets remain generally bullish (median ~$324) but mixed: several firms raised targets while at least one outlier remains conservative — watch how sell-side views evolve post-print. CME GROUP ($CME) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings
- Neutral Sentiment: Market is parsing sustainability of elevated volumes: analysts and coverage pieces note strong quarter but flag whether heightened volatility and volumes persist through the year. CME Group earnings ahead: Record volumes face sustainability test
- Negative Sentiment: Mixed prints vs different benchmarks created headlines: some outlets report EPS/revenue slightly missing alternate consensus (EPS $3.36 vs a $3.38 estimate on one data feed), which can trigger short-term selling despite the underlying strength. CME GROUP ($CME) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings
- Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional churn: notable insider sales and large institutional reductions (e.g., UBS trimming a sizable position) were flagged in filings — these flows can add selling pressure and amplify short-term weakness. CME GROUP ($CME) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings
- Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction: coverage noted the stock slid after the print, consistent with profit-taking despite a record quarter. CME Group (CME) Stock Slides Following Record-Breaking Q1 2026 Performance
Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group
In other news, Director Dennis Suskind sold 748 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $224,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,699 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $809,700. This represents a 21.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 4,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $309.65, for a total transaction of $1,300,530.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 43,007 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,317,117.55. This represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,539 shares of company stock valued at $2,713,821. Insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CME. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in CME Group by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 4,319,763 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,179,858,000 after acquiring an additional 222,890 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 3,574,469 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $976,116,000 after acquiring an additional 170,046 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 23.0% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,830,323 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $764,725,000 after purchasing an additional 528,358 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1.7% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,431,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $657,045,000 after purchasing an additional 39,607 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CME Group by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,148,161 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $586,620,000 after purchasing an additional 26,845 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
CME has been the subject of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on CME Group from $266.00 to $275.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Barclays decreased their target price on CME Group from $344.00 to $343.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $312.00 to $316.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $309.94.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on CME Group
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.
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