Jefferies Financial Group Has Lowered Expectations for CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Stock Price

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) had its target price cut by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group from $304.00 to $302.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,MarketScreener reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 10.79% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CME. TD Cowen upgraded CME Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $290.00 to $305.00 in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of CME Group in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup raised shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $300.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of CME Group from $282.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $291.82.

CME Group Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ CME traded down $2.64 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $272.59. 1,673,700 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,145,778. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.30 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $274.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.81. CME Group has a 52-week low of $227.89 and a 52-week high of $290.79.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 14.61% and a net margin of 58.84%.The business’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.68 EPS. Analysts forecast that CME Group will post 10.49 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, Director William R. Shepard bought 251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $278.37 per share, with a total value of $69,870.87. Following the transaction, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Harold Eugene Jr. Ford sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $263.53, for a total value of $263,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $287,511.23. The trade was a 47.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CME Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caldwell Trust Co increased its stake in CME Group by 116.3% in the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 93 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 84.3% during the 2nd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in CME Group in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in CME Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Sagard Holdings Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key CME Group News

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME plans to list futures on Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK) and Stellar (XLM) on Feb. 9 (pending approval), including both standard and micro contract sizes — broadening its regulated crypto derivatives suite and targeting rising investor demand for altcoin exposure. Cointelegraph: CME Group plans launch of Cardano, Chainlink and Stellar futures
• Positive Sentiment: CME issued a formal press release announcing the altcoin futures expansion, reinforcing management’s push to capture more digital-asset trading volume and fees across both institutional and retail segments. PR Newswire: CME Group to Expand Crypto Derivatives Suite
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen upgraded CME from Hold to Buy and raised its price target to $305, signaling confidence in CME’s revenue mix and product pipeline (positive analyst support). MSN: TD Cowen upgrades CME Group
• Positive Sentiment: CME is launching a smaller silver futures contract to tap surging retail interest in silver — a move that could increase trading volumes and fee income in metals. Bitcoin.com: Silver Gets a Major Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target slightly (from $320 to $319) but kept an Overweight rating, a modest tweak that maintains institutional support but signals little change to the long-term thesis. The Fly: Morgan Stanley price target change
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect single-digit bottom-line growth for Q4; the upcoming earnings release will be a near-term catalyst as investors watch revenue mix (crypto, metals, rates) and trading volumes. Barchart: What to expect from CME Group’s next earnings report
• Negative Sentiment: CME tightened margin calculations in the silver market, linking requirements more closely to price — a risk control move that could damp speculative volume and near-term trading activity in precious metals. Benzinga: CME changes margin calculation for silver
• Negative Sentiment: Despite product launches and upgrades, muted trading volume and broader market pressures appear to be weighing on the stock today — suggesting investors are awaiting concrete volume/fee lifts or the upcoming quarterly results before bidding the shares higher. No external link

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.