Empowered Funds LLC Has $9.57 Million Stake in CME Group Inc. $CME

Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 16.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 32,417 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,543 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in CME Group were worth $9,574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Dedication LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of CME Group by 2,075.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 87 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Elkhorn Partners Limited Partnership bought a new stake in shares of CME Group in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. 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: Expanded retail access to futures: TradeStation is expanding its futures offering to include CME Group’s spot-quoted futures, potentially increasing participation, liquidity and transaction volume across CME’s markets. TradeStation Expands Futures Offering with CME Group Spot-Quoted Futures
• Positive Sentiment: Entry into sports-related derivatives: CME Group plans to launch cash-settled futures tied to sports performance indexes through a partnership with FutureSports. The initiative targets the roughly $650 billion global sports industry and could create a new source of trading and clearing revenue if it receives regulatory approval and attracts hedging demand. CME Group Targets $650 Billion Sports Industry With First Sports Index Futures
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings beat expectations: CME’s latest quarterly results exceeded consensus estimates, with earnings per share of $2.99 versus $2.91 expected and revenue of $1.71 billion versus $1.68 billion expected. Revenue increased year over year, reinforcing the company’s strong operating performance and high margins.
• Neutral Sentiment: Federal Reserve holds rates steady: The Fed kept its benchmark rate at 3.50%–3.75%, in line with expectations. The decision does not materially change CME’s outlook, though future rate uncertainty can support activity in interest-rate and other derivatives markets. Fed Holds Rates Between 3.50% and 3.75%
• Negative Sentiment: Minor earnings-estimate reduction: Erste Group Bank lowered its FY2027 EPS forecast to $12.91 from $12.94 and maintained a “Hold” rating. The small revision signals limited near-term upside from that analyst, though the estimate remains above the broader current-year consensus of $12.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director William R. Shepard acquired 325 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $230.57 per share, with a total value of $74,935.25. Following the acquisition, the director owned 260,442 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $60,050,111.94. This trade represents a 0.12% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Hilda Harris Piell sold 5,753 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $304.63, for a total value of $1,752,536.39. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 27,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,438,860.26. This trade represents a 17.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CME has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $305.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of CME Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $316.00 to $323.00 in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of CME Group from $329.00 to $295.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of CME Group from $356.00 to $349.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on CME Group from $226.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $291.81.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME opened at $267.36 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $251.35 and its 200 day moving average is $281.15. CME Group Inc. has a 12-month low of $218.31 and a 12-month high of $329.16. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The stock has a market cap of $96.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.25.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The financial services provider reported $2.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.08. CME Group had a net margin of 63.30% and a return on equity of 15.60%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.96 EPS. CME Group’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 9th were given a dividend of $1.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 9th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. CME Group’s payout ratio is presently 44.11%.

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.