What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for CME Group Q4 Earnings?

CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for CME Group in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 13th. Zacks Research analyst T. De now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings of $2.47 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.31. The consensus estimate for CME Group’s current full-year earnings is $10.23 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CME Group’s Q1 2025 earnings at $2.57 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $2.50 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.57 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $10.19 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.75 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.71 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.44 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $10.62 EPS.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.34% and a return on equity of 13.39%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.25 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on CME. Redburn Atlantic cut CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $244.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on CME Group from $250.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $224.47.

CME Group Stock Up 0.8 %

CME opened at $225.28 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $222.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $210.37. The company has a market capitalization of $81.12 billion, a PE ratio of 23.69, a PEG ratio of 5.26 and a beta of 0.55. CME Group has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $230.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new stake in CME Group during the third quarter worth $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its position in CME Group by 188.4% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in CME Group in the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of CME Group by 66.1% during the 2nd quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in CME Group by 515.2% in the 2nd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Timothy S. Bitsberger sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.96, for a total value of $226,960.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 10,589 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,403,279.44. This represents a 8.63 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 55,607 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,932,706.13. This trade represents a 12.01 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,621 shares of company stock worth $3,441,063. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 9th will be given a dividend of $1.15 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 9th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.04%. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.37%.

About CME Group

CME Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services.