Victory Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in CME Group Inc. $CME

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 746.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,049,649 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,807,491 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $559,720,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CME. Asset Dedication LLC grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 64.9% during the fourth quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1,250.0% during the fourth quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID grew its holdings in shares of CME Group by 191.9% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Wealth Managment LLC ID now owns 108 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME announced four new E-mini futures contracts tied to broad-market equity benchmarks, plus new Micro E-mini options on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100. These launches could attract more trading volume by giving investors additional, lower-cost ways to hedge and gain market exposure. CME Group to Expand Equity Index Suite with Launch of Four New E-mini Futures Contracts
• Positive Sentiment: The company also said it will expand 24/7 trading for WTI crude oil and gold, which could improve price discovery and make CME’s metals and energy products more attractive to global traders operating outside normal market hours. CME Group to Expand 24/7 Trading for WTI Crude Oil and Gold
• Positive Sentiment: CME launched Nasdaq CME Crypto Index futures and is moving deeper into digital-asset derivatives, giving investors regulated exposure to major cryptocurrencies and potentially opening another growth avenue for the exchange. CME Group Launches Crypto Index Futures Tracking Bitcoin, Solana and XRP
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank slightly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for CME, signaling stable earnings expectations rather than a major change in outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary around the CFTC’s crypto oversight has raised concerns about regulatory pressure and market criticism, which could create uncertainty for CME’s expanding crypto-related products. CFTC’s Lone Chair Selig Expands Grip Over Crypto and Prediction Markets

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other news, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total transaction of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This trade represents a 17.20% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total transaction of $10,447,850.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. The trade was a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 44,044 shares of company stock worth $13,297,507 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CME opened at $269.53 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market cap of $97.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.00, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.21. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $244.56 and a 52 week high of $329.16. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $284.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $288.07.

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

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 9th will be given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CME has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised CME Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Piper Sandler raised their price target on CME Group from $313.00 to $329.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on CME Group from $266.00 to $271.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $316.00 to $323.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on CME Group from $275.00 to $267.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.71.

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.