Peterson Wealth Services Raises Holdings in CME Group Inc. $CME

Peterson Wealth Services raised its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 382.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,668 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,664 shares during the period. Peterson Wealth Services’ holdings in CME Group were worth $2,640,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kovack Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter valued at $1,345,000. Nuveen LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 946,268 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $258,407,000 after acquiring an additional 109,284 shares during the period. Xponance LLC lifted its stake in CME Group by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 56,420 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $15,407,000 after acquiring an additional 3,103 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 353,308 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $96,481,000 after buying an additional 6,564 shares during the period. Finally, Canopy Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 15.2% during the 4th quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 957 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME Group stock opened at $262.18 on Friday. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $244.56 and a one year high of $329.16. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $285.34 and its 200 day moving average is $288.20. The stock has a market cap of $95.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The financial services provider reported $3.36 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.11 by $0.25. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.The company had revenue of $1.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.80 EPS. CME Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.37%.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME Group launched Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures, giving investors regulated exposure to a basket of major digital assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, Cardano, Chainlink, and Stellar. This could attract fresh institutional trading and hedging activity. CME Group Launches Crypto Index Futures Tracking Bitcoin, Solana and XRP
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced four new E-mini futures contracts tied to broad U.S. equity benchmarks, expanding its equity index franchise and potentially increasing trading volumes. CME Group to Expand Equity Index Suite with Launch of Four New E-mini Futures Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: CME also unveiled financially settled Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 options, which should broaden access for smaller traders and add another potential source of contract activity. CME Group to Launch New Financially-Settled Micro E-mini S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 Options
• Positive Sentiment: CME said it will expand 24/7 trading for smaller WTI crude oil and gold contracts, a move that could improve market access and price discovery while boosting engagement in its commodities products. CME Group to Expand 24/7 Trading for WTI Crude Oil and Gold
• Positive Sentiment: CME entered an exclusive multi-year licensing deal with Morningstar to launch derivatives based on key Morningstar equity indexes, opening a new product line tied to more than $3 trillion in linked assets. CME Group and Morningstar Announce Exclusive Index Derivatives Licensing Agreement
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at Erste Group Bank slightly raised FY2026 earnings estimates for CME, but kept a Hold rating. That signals modestly improved expectations, though not a strong new bullish call.
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholders maintained CME’s Class B governance structure, which removes uncertainty around a possible change but is unlikely to be a major near-term operating catalyst. CME Group Shareholders Maintain Class B Governance Structure
• Neutral Sentiment: Cardano futures on CME are nearing the six-month threshold that could help an ETF application qualify, but the potential benefit is indirect and still months away. SEC Clock Ticks as Cardano Futures Edge Toward ETF Qualification

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CME. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $316.00 to $323.00 in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on CME Group from $343.00 to $316.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $305.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total transaction of $1,097,120.67. Following the sale, the general counsel directly owned 7,192 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,397,597.04. This trade represents a 31.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total value of $10,447,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 55,630 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. This represents a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 44,044 shares of company stock valued at $13,297,507 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CME Group 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.