Arax Advisory Partners Sells 6,498 Shares of CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Arax Advisory Partners reduced its CME Group stake by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, selling 6,498 shares and ending with 36,459 shares worth about $9.96 million.
• CME is expanding its product lineup with new E-mini futures, Micro E-mini options, 24/7 trading for WTI crude oil and gold, and crypto index futures, which could help drive more volume and broaden trader participation.
• The company reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $3.36 and revenue of $1.88 billion, and it also declared a $1.30 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 1.9% annualized yield.

Arax Advisory Partners trimmed its stake in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,459 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,498 shares during the quarter. Arax Advisory Partners' holdings in CME Group were worth $9,956,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 11.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,027 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,660,000 after purchasing an additional 1,037 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 103.1% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 121,707 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 1,325.2% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 23,572 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,497,000 after purchasing an additional 21,918 shares in the last quarter. Nebula Research & Development LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the second quarter valued at $992,000. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 2.6% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 287,876 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $79,344,000 after purchasing an additional 7,397 shares in the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting CME Group

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. MarketBeat report on CME estimate update
• 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

CME Group Stock Up 2.8%

CME Group stock opened at $269.53 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $97.67 billion, a PE ratio of 23.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a one year low of $244.56 and a one year high of $329.16. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $284.79 and a 200 day moving average of $288.07.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted 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 company had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.77 billion. CME Group had a return on equity of 15.42% and a net margin of 63.19%.CME Group's revenue for the quarter was up 14.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.80 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CME Group Inc. will post 12.28 EPS for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 25th. Shareholders 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 is presently 44.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CME Group news, CEO Terrence A. Duffy sold 35,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 55,630 shares in the company, valued at $16,606,111.30. This represents a 38.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 3,291 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $333.37, for a total value of $1,097,120.67. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 7,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,397,597.04. The trade was a 31.39% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 44,044 shares of company stock worth $13,297,507 over the last quarter. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CME. TD Cowen lowered their price target on CME Group from $340.00 to $323.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on CME Group from $362.00 to $353.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Argus reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on CME Group from $313.00 to $329.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $305.71.

CME Group 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.

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