CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) Given New $230.00 Price Target at Bank of America

Key Points

• Bank of America raised its price target on CME Group to $230 from $226, but kept an underperform rating, implying about 9.3% downside from the current share price.
• CME Group beat second-quarter expectations, reporting EPS of $2.99 versus the $2.91 consensus and revenue of $1.71 billion versus $1.68 billion estimated.
• The company said the first half of 2026 was its strongest ever for several key financial metrics, with record or near-record trading activity helping support performance, even as analysts remain mixed on the stock.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by research analysts at Bank of America from $226.00 to $230.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "underperform" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Bank of America's target price indicates a potential downside of 9.27% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on CME. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $320.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised CME Group from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $316.00 to $323.00 in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on CME Group from $323.00 to $273.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, July 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on CME Group from $324.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $292.47.

CME Group Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of CME stock traded up $4.26 on Thursday, hitting $253.50. 1,518,705 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,767,212. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.25. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $255.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $281.51. CME Group has a one year low of $218.31 and a one year high of $329.16.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 63.19% and a return on equity of 15.42%. The company's revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that CME Group will post 12.17 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.51, for a total value of $10,447,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $16,606,111.30. This represents a 38.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William R. Shepard bought 325 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $230.57 per share, with a total value of $74,935.25. Following the purchase, the director owned 260,442 shares in the company, valued at $60,050,111.94. This trade represents a 0.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CME Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CME. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,523,241,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in CME Group by 746.4% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,049,649 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $559,720,000 after buying an additional 1,807,491 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in CME Group by 39.1% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,019,944 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,187,290,000 after acquiring an additional 1,130,587 shares in the last quarter. Life Cycle Investment Partners Ltd bought a new stake in CME Group in the fourth quarter worth $217,656,000. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new stake in shares of CME Group in the second quarter worth $164,648,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CME Group reported Q2 EPS of $2.99, beating estimates, while revenue of about $1.71 billion also topped expectations, highlighting resilient demand in its derivatives business. CME profit tops estimates, CEO says 'perps' chatter overshadows results
• Positive Sentiment: Management said the first half of 2026 was the strongest in company history for revenue, adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, and adjusted diluted EPS, which supports the bullish reaction. CME Group jumps after Q2 earnings beat and strong trading activity
• Positive Sentiment: Trading activity remained robust, with average daily volume near record levels and market data revenue reaching a record, both of which suggest durable demand across CME’s platform. CME Group (CME) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts reiterated mixed views after earnings: UBS maintained a Hold with a $260 target, while Bank of America kept a Sell despite raising its target, suggesting the stock may still face valuation questions. Neutral Stance Reiterated on CME as Solid Fundamentals Meet Valuation Limits; $260 Price Target Maintained

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.

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