CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Director Martin Gepsman Sells 300 Shares

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Director Martin Gepsman sold 300 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.90, for a total value of $91,770.00. Following the sale, the director owned 24,999 shares in the company, valued at $7,647,194.10. This represents a 1.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

CME Group Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of CME stock opened at $308.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a 50 day moving average of $283.19 and a 200-day moving average of $274.85. The firm has a market cap of $111.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.61, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.27. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $246.91 and a 12-month high of $309.35.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The financial services provider reported $2.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.75 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 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 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.52 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 10th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This is a positive change from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 10th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.59%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CME Group

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $2,660,000 after buying an additional 1,037 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 5,021 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,384,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its position in shares of CME Group by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 31,025 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,551,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group acquired a new position in CME Group in the second quarter worth approximately $237,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in shares of CME Group by 8.0% during the second quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 8,031 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,214,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group News Roundup

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on CME shares. Bank of America increased their target price on CME Group from $201.00 to $209.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. 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. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of CME Group from $304.00 to $312.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on CME Group from $300.00 to $333.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on CME Group from $305.00 to $328.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Nine research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $299.53.

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.