<div id="readability-page-1">CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $2.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.69 by $0.08, FiscalAI reports. CME Group had a net margin of 58.84% and a return on equity of 14.61%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.52 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis.<ul><li>Higher-for-Longer Rates Could Reward These 3 Overlooked Stocks</li></ul>Here are the key takeaways from CME Group's conference call:<ul> <li>Record year: CME reported a landmark 2025 with revenue of $6.5 billion (up 6%) and adjusted net income of $4.1 billion, driving 9% adjusted EPS growth versus 2024.</li> <li>Clearing and capital efficiencies: The SEC approved CME Securities Clearing and CME expects to launch it ahead of the U.S. Treasury clearing mandate, and combined with planned CME‑FICC client cross‑margining, customers' average daily margin savings reached about $80 billion.</li> <li>Retail and crypto expansion: New event contracts and retail offerings (microproducts +59% Q4) generated strong early traction (68M event contracts in six weeks), while crypto ADV jumped 92% in Q4; CME will add new crypto futures Feb 9 and roll out 24/7 crypto trading next quarter.</li> <li>2026 outlook and pricing actions: 2026 guidance includes adjusted operating expenses (ex-license) of ~ $1.695B, capex ~$85M, a 23.5%–24.5% tax rate, and announced market data/transaction/incentive fee changes expected to raise revenue ~1%–1.5% on similar activity.</li> <li>Capital returns: Board approved using remaining OSTTRA proceeds for buybacks (repurchased $256M in Q4 and an additional $276M YTD) and CME paid ~$3.9B in dividends in 2025 with variable dividend timing aligned to Q1.</li> </ul><h2>CME Group Stock Up 0.1%</h2>CME Group stock traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $293.30. 133,477 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,022,782. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. CME Group has a fifty-two week low of $239.70 and a fifty-two week high of $296.16. The company's fifty day moving average price is $275.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $272.52. The company has a market cap of $105.77 billion, a PE ratio of 28.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 0.27. <h2>CME Group Announces Dividend</h2><ul><li>Gold, Silver, and Copper Are Surging—Here Are 3 Smart Ways to Play It</li></ul>The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.45%. <h2>Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades</h2>Several research firms have recently issued reports on CME. Barclays lifted their price target on CME Group from $280.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an &#34;equal weight&#34; rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of CME Group from $307.00 to $311.00 and gave the company an &#34;outperform&#34; rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. TD Cowen upgraded CME Group from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on CME Group from $320.00 to $319.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $296.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an &#34;overweight&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday, November 13th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average target price of $292.18.<ul><li>Capitalize on Volatility: 3 Finance Stocks Thriving in 2025</li></ul>Read Our Latest Research Report on CME<h2>Key Stories Impacting CME Group</h2>Here are the key news stories impacting CME Group this week:<ul> <li>Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat/raised confidence: CME reported adjusted EPS of $2.77, topping consensus and up from $2.52 a year earlier — a signal of continued operating leverage and margin strength. Zacks: Q4 Earnings</li> <li>Positive Sentiment: Record annual results and quarterly operating income: Management reported record full‑year revenue ($6.5B) and fourth‑quarter operating income ~ $1.0B, reinforcing the view of durable revenue streams (market data + derivatives). PR Newswire: Full‑Year Results</li> <li>Positive Sentiment: Stronger trading volumes: January set a record ADV of 29.6M contracts (up 15% YoY), with new highs in several products — higher volumes support fee revenue and helped lift quarterly top‑line. PR Newswire: January Volume</li> <li>Positive Sentiment: Profit uplift tied to hedging demand: Coverage notes the profit rise was driven by elevated trading activity as market participants increased hedging, supporting the revenue/earnings beat. Reuters: Profit Rises</li> <li>Neutral Sentiment: Analyst landscape and targets: Recent analyst price targets have a median around $304.5 (above current levels), which could support upside over time but expectations are mixed across shops. QuiverQuant: Analyst Targets &amp; Activity</li> <li>Neutral Sentiment: Client pricing update: CME notified clients of pricing and disclosure changes (impact depends on fee mix and customer response); this is worth watching but unclear near term. TipRanks: Pricing Update</li> <li>Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and mixed institutional flows: Filings show several insider sales (including senior executives) and large, mixed moves by institutions (some big adds, some large trims), which can be read as a modest cautionary signal by investors. QuiverQuant: Insider &amp; Institutional Activity</li> <li>Negative Sentiment: Minor revenue estimate discrepancies: One data source flagged a small miss vs. a particular revenue estimate (roughly ~$17.7M), which could temper bullish reaction for some traders focused on top‑line beats. QuiverQuant: Revenue Note</li> </ul><h2>Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group</h2>In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $269.55, for a total value of $6,738,750.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 65,804 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,737,468.20. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Shepard acquired 251 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $278.37 per share, with a total value of $69,870.87. Following the purchase, 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 disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock. <h2>Institutional Inflows and Outflows</h2>A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in CME Group by 14.0% during the third quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,330 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,980,000 after acquiring an additional 901 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 43.3% in the third quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 6,177 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,669,000 after buying an additional 1,867 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in shares of CME Group by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 6,550 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,770,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 53.7% during the 3rd quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 13,468 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,639,000 after purchasing an additional 4,706 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Armistice Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 156.0% in the third quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 2,437 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $658,000 after purchasing an additional 1,485 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. <h2>CME Group Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)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.<h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than CME Group</li><li>This $15 Stock Could Go Down as the #1 Stock of 2026</li><li>Which stock will the White House buy next?</li><li>“Fed Proof” Your Bank Account with THESE 4 Simple Steps</li><li>What a Former CIA Agent Knows About the Coming Collapse</li><li>1 Hour Once A Day</li></ul><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/EarningsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9Q01F?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="325" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/EarningsChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9Q01F"/>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.<h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in CME Group Right Now?</h2>Before you consider CME Group, you'll want to hear this.MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and CME Group wasn't on the list.While CME Group currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.View The Five Stocks Here </div>

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) reported quarterly earnings of $2.77 per share, exceeding expectations by $0.08. The company achieved a revenue of $1.65 billion, up 8.1% year-over-year. CME's net margin was 58.84%, with a return on equity of 14.61%. The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, yielding 1.7%. Analysts have mixed ratings, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $292.18. CME stock rose 0.1% to $293.30 during midday trading.

- CME Group reported Q4 earnings per share of $2.77, exceeding estimates of $2.69, with revenue up 8.1% year-over-year at $1.65 billion.  
- The company achieved record 2025 revenue of $6.5 billion and highlighted growth in retail and crypto offerings, alongside planned pricing changes expected to enhance revenue.  
- Analysts have mixed sentiments about CME Group, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and price targets ranging from $280 to $311.

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CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.08 EPS