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NASDAQ: CME · Financial Exchanges & Data

CME Group

CME Group runs futures and options exchanges — CME, CBOT, NYMEX, and COMEX — and a clearing house, covering interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agriculture, energy, and metals. It also owns BrokerTec (cash U.S. Treasuries) and EBS (FX) and sells market data. Futures and options average daily volume hit a record 28.1 million contracts in 2025. FY2025 revenue was $6.52 billion and net income $4.07 billion. CME pays a regular dividend plus an annual variable dividend; CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick will succeed Terry Duffy as CEO in 2027.

Last updated

Analysis last edited: October 31, 2026 · Financial data fetched: October 17, 2026 10:20 (SEC EDGAR) · Source 10-K filed: February 26, 2026

Built on10-K FY2025 · filed 2026-02-2610-Q (quarter ended 2026-09-30) · filed 2026-10-23

Next update expectedAfter FY2026’s 10-K is filed (roughly 60–90 days after fiscal year end (sooner for larger filers)), financials and analysis will be refreshed.

01

At a glanceFrom SEC data

Eight headline measures, each placed among the companies covered on this site.

Revenue growth
6.0%

Higher than 33% of 372 non-financial companies

Average yearly growth over the years shown

Operating margin
64.9%

Higher than 99% of 311 non-financial companies

Latest fiscal year (FY2025)

ROIC minus WACC
+3.6 pts

Higher than 52% of 311 non-financial companies

Return on capital above (or below) its estimated cost

Net debt ÷ EBITDA
-0.3x

Higher than 17% of 304 non-financial companies

Below 0 means more cash than debt

Cash conversion
1.05x

Higher than 12% of 349 non-financial companies

Operating cash flow ÷ net income

Dividend raises
5 of 5

Years the dividend per share rose, of the last 5

P/E today
26.7x

Latest close 2026-11-04; fiscal FY2025

Beta
0.40

Above 1 = moves more than the market

Each marker shows where this company sits among the non-financial companies covered on this site, not all listed companies (left = lowest, right = highest). A high position is not automatically good — for net debt ÷ EBITDA, higher means more debt. Details and formulas are in the sections below and in How to read this.

02

Valuation todayFrom SEC data

Price-based measures at the latest close, next to the same measures at the last fiscal year-end.

Share price$303.01close on 2026-11-04

Market cap$108.77B

P/E today
26.7x

At FY2025 year-end: 24.5x

Earnings: fiscal FY2025

P/B today
3.8x

At FY2025 year-end: 3.4x

Book value at FY2025 year-end

EV/EBITDA today
24.8x

At FY2025 year-end: 22.4x

EBITDA for FY2025

FCF yield today
3.9%

At FY2025 year-end: 4.3%

Free cash flow for FY2025

Dividend yield today
3.7%

Dividends per share for FY2025

“Today” uses the latest closing price (2026-11-04, Yahoo Finance daily closing prices) and shares outstanding at the last fiscal year-end. The rest of this page — including the financial table and ROIC vs. WACC — uses fiscal year-end prices. These are reference figures, not a judgment of whether the stock is cheap or expensive.

03

What changed since last earningsFrom SEC data

The latest reported quarter against the same quarter a year earlier, the balance sheet against the previous quarter-end, and what management said in its latest earnings release.

Quarter ended Sep 30, 2026.

  • Revenue↑ +13.0%$1.54B → $1.74B (vs. a year earlier)
  • Operating margin↑ +2.4 pts63.3% → 65.7% (vs. a year earlier)
  • Net income↑ +14.2%$908M → $1.04B (vs. a year earlier)
  • Diluted EPS↑ +16.1%$2.49 → $2.89 (vs. a year earlier)
  • Cash↑ +2.5%$2.14B → $2.2B (vs. previous quarter-end)

Source: Form 10-Q ↗ (SEC XBRL). Long-term debt is the tagged long-term debt figure and leaves out short-term borrowings.

From the earnings release of Oct 21, 2026.

Key changes

  • Q3 average daily volume a record 29.4M contracts. Source sentence
    Q3 2026 average daily volume (ADV) climbed to a third-quarter record of 29.4 million contracts, and non-U.S.
  • Market data revenue a record $243M, up 20%. Source sentence
    Market data revenue totaled a record $243 million for third-quarter 2026, an increase of 20%.
  • Returned nearly $1B to shareholders. Source sentence
    The company returned nearly $1 billion to shareholders during the quarter, with $465 million in regular quarterly dividends and $524 million in share repurchases .

Written by AI. A line appears only if its figures and direction match the quoted sentence, which an automatic check confirms. Companies' outlooks are their own and may not be met. Read the release ↗

04

Company profileFrom SEC dataShow

Legal name
CME GROUP INC.
Headquarters
CHICAGO, IL
Incorporated in
Delaware
Fiscal year end
12/31
Exchange & ticker
NASDAQ: CME
Industry
Financial Exchanges & Data
CIK
1156375

Workforce (as of FY2025 year-end)

  • Employees

    3,875

Source: Form 10-K (FY2025) cover page and business description

05

Earnings calendarFrom SEC dataShow

When the company reports each quarter: the quarter-end date, the day results were released, and when the 10-Q or 10-K was filed.

Next report

Q4 FY2026

Quarter end: December 2026. In past years, Q4 results were released 35–45 days after quarter end (Feb 4, 2026; Feb 12, 2025; Feb 14, 2024). No date has been announced in the sources this site uses.

Reporting pattern

  • Fiscal year ends around December 31.
  • Reports four times a year: three quarterly reports (10-Q) and an annual report (10-K) for Q4.
  • Earnings releases came 21–45 days after quarter end over the last 12 quarters.
QuarterQuarter endedEarnings release (8-K)Report filed (10-Q / 10-K)
Q3 FY2026Sep 30, 2026Oct 21, 2026 (+21 days)Oct 23, 2026 10-Q (+23 days)
Q2 FY2026Jun 30, 2026Jul 22, 2026 (+22 days)Jul 24, 2026 10-Q (+24 days)
Q1 FY2026Mar 31, 2026Apr 22, 2026 (+22 days)Apr 24, 2026 10-Q (+24 days)
Q4 FY2025Dec 31, 2025Feb 4, 2026 (+35 days)Feb 26, 2026 10-K (+57 days)
Q3 FY2025Sep 30, 2025Oct 22, 2025 (+22 days)Oct 24, 2025 10-Q (+24 days)
Q2 FY2025Jun 30, 2025Jul 23, 2025 (+23 days)Jul 25, 2025 10-Q (+25 days)
Q1 FY2025Mar 31, 2025Apr 23, 2025 (+23 days)Apr 30, 2025 10-Q (+30 days)
Q4 FY2024Dec 31, 2024Feb 12, 2025 (+43 days)Feb 27, 2025 10-K (+58 days)
Q3 FY2024Sep 30, 2024Oct 23, 2024 (+23 days)Nov 8, 2024 10-Q (+39 days)
Q2 FY2024Jun 30, 2024Jul 24, 2024 (+24 days)Aug 5, 2024 10-Q (+36 days)
Q1 FY2024Mar 31, 2024Apr 24, 2024 (+24 days)May 1, 2024 10-Q (+31 days)
Q4 FY2023Dec 31, 2023Feb 14, 2024 (+45 days)Feb 28, 2024 10-K (+59 days)

Source: SEC EDGAR filing history. Release dates are the dates the earnings release was furnished to the SEC on Form 8-K (Item 2.02), which is normally the day results are announced. For a quarter whose 10-Q or 10-K isn’t filed yet, the date is the latest Item 2.02 8-K since the previous report, which may be a preliminary or other results-related update. Fiscal years are labeled by the calendar year in which they end.

06

Flagship products & servicesSite analysis

  • Interest rates

    SOFR and U.S. Treasury futures and options

    Examples: SOFR futures, Treasury futures, CME Term SOFR

    CME's largest asset class.

  • Equity

    Equity index futures and options

    Examples: E-mini S&P 500, micro contracts

    Including micro-sized products for retail traders.

  • Commodities

    Energy, metals, agriculture

    Examples: NYMEX crude oil, COMEX gold, CBOT corn and soybeans

    Global commodity benchmarks.

  • Cash markets

    BrokerTec and EBS

    Examples: Treasury and repo trading, spot FX

    From the NEX acquisition.

  • New products

    Event contracts and crypto

    Examples: FanDuel prediction markets app, 24/7 crypto futures

    Event contracts with FanDuel launched December 2025.

Descriptions are from the FY2025 Form 10-K's Item 1.

U.S., worldwide and country/regional share of flagship products/services

Only shares the company itself states (in its filings or press releases, sometimes citing a research firm) are shown. Scope and timing vary by figure — treat these as approximate.

  • BrokerTec electronic fixed income trading

    Cash U.S. Treasuries, European government bonds and repo

    U.S. share

    —

    Not disclosed

    Worldwide share

    Leading position

    Company-disclosed

    Per the 10-K; no percentage is given.

07

Recent strategic focusSite analysis

2026 developments from 8-Ks.

  1. CEO succession

    President and CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick will succeed Terry Duffy as CEO on the later of March 1, 2027 and the filing of the 2026 10-K; Duffy becomes Executive Chairman through 2027.

    Source: 8-K filed 2026-06-17

  2. Record Q3 volume

    Q3 2026 revenue was $1.7B, diluted EPS $2.89 ($3.02 adjusted), and ADV a third-quarter record of 29.4M contracts, with double-digit growth in all six asset classes; market data revenue was a record $243M.

    Source: 8-K filed 2026-10-21 (Exhibit 99.1)

  3. New products

    Launches include single-stock futures, 24/7 one-ounce gold contracts, U.S. Treasury clearing, and compute futures.

    Source: 8-K filed 2026-07-22

Capex ÷ D&A (FY2025)

0.78x

Below depreciation — investment is being pared back

formulacapital expenditures ÷ depreciation & amortization

e.g.$84M ÷ $108M = 0.78x

termsCapital expenditures (capex) · Depreciation & amortization (D&A)

Where the money goes, over time

Unit: $M. Capex went from $198M in FY2020 to $84M in FY2025

  • Capex

formulacapital expenditures ÷ depreciation & amortization

termsCapital expenditures (capex) · Depreciation & amortization (D&A)

Source: each period's Form 10-K (SEC EDGAR). Latest: filed 2026-02-26

08

Key figures at a glanceFrom SEC data

FY2020–FY2025, 6 years.

Revenue (FY2025)

$6.52B

As reported in the 10-K

Revenue CAGR (5 years)

+6.0%▲favorable

formula(last-period revenue ÷ first-period revenue) ^ (1 ÷ years) − 1

e.g.($6,521M ÷ $4,884M) ^ (1÷5) − 1 = 6.0%

termsCAGR · ^ (exponent) · Revenue (net sales)

Operating margin (FY2025)

64.9%▲favorable

+10.9pt vs. 5 years ago

formulaoperating income ÷ revenue × 100

e.g.$4,230M ÷ $6,521M × 100 = 64.9%

termsOperating income · Revenue (net sales)

ROE (FY2025)

14.8%▲favorable

6-year average: 11.3%

As reported in the 10-K

P/B (FY2025 end)

3.41x

formulafiscal year-end closing price ÷ book value per share

e.g.$273.08 ÷ $80.03 = 3.41x

termsP/B · BVPS

Period-end (fiscal year-end) value, not today's P/B

EV/EBITDA (FY2025 end)

22.4x

formula(market cap + interest-bearing debt − cash and equivalents) ÷ (operating income + depreciation & amortization)

e.g.($98,022M + $3,422M − $4,417M) ÷ ($4,230M + $108M) = 22.4x

termsEV/EBITDA · Market capitalization · Interest-bearing debt · EBITDA · Depreciation & amortization (D&A)

Period-end (fiscal year-end) value, not today's multiple

  • ▲

    Revenue grew +6.0% a year over 5 years (strong growth)

    From $4.88B in FY2020 to $6.52B in FY2025. The annualized rate (CAGR) makes it possible to compare growth pace across companies of different sizes.

  • ▲

    Operating margin improved: 54.0% → 64.9%

    How much operating profit is left per $100 of revenue. It moved +10.9 points over 5 years — pricing power, cost control, and product mix all show up here.

  • ▼

    Equity ratio is 14.5% (relatively heavy reliance on debt)

    The share of total assets funded by equity rather than debt. 50%+ is often read as low bankruptcy risk, though the right level varies by industry (real estate and leasing run lower, for instance).

  • ▲

    Free cash flow was positive in 6 of 6 years

    Operating cash flow minus capital expenditures: the cash left over after funding the business’s own investment, available for dividends, buybacks, acquisitions, or debt paydown. A negative year can mean heavy investment, or weak core earnings — worth distinguishing.

  • ▲

    ROE averaged 11.3% over 6 years (latest: 14.8%)

    How much profit was generated on shareholders’ equity. Roughly 10%+ is often cited as solid for a U.S. company, though this varies a lot by industry and capital intensity.

09

Business modelSite analysis

Futures and options trading and clearing

Electronic (CME Globex) trading and central clearing of futures and options on interest rates, equity indexes, FX, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals.

Futures and options trading and clearing: how money and goods flow
  1. 01 what it draws on

    Inputs & resources

    • Exchanges (CME, CBOT, NYMEX, COMEX)
    • Clearing house and its guaranty funds
    • Google Cloud infrastructure (in transition)
  2. 02 what it does

    Activities

    • Listing contracts
    • Matching trades
    • Clearing and settling
  3. 03 who it serves

    Customers

    • Clearing firms, banks, asset managers, hedge funds, commercial hedgers, retail traders
  4. 04 how money comes in

    How it earns

    • Clearing and transaction fees per contract

Futures and options trading and clearing: how it makes money

  • Clearing and transaction fees were $5.28B in 2025; interest rates were the largest asset class at $1.72B.
  • Record ADV of 28.1M contracts in 2025, with volume records in interest rates, agriculture, energy, and metals.

Cash markets and OTC

BrokerTec (U.S. Treasury repo and cash trading), EBS (spot FX), and interest rate swap clearing.

Cash markets and OTC: how money and goods flow
  1. 01 what it draws on

    Inputs & resources

    • Electronic trading platforms from the NEX acquisition
  2. 02 what it does

    Activities

    • Cash fixed income and FX trading
  3. 03 who it serves

    Customers

    • Banks and dealers
  4. 04 how money comes in

    How it earns

    • Transaction fees

Cash markets and OTC: how it makes money

  • BrokerTec and EBS generated $283.7M of clearing and transaction fees in 2025.

Market data and other

Real-time and historical market data, benchmarks such as CME Term SOFR, and other services.

Market data and other: how money and goods flow
  1. 01 what it draws on

    Inputs & resources

    • Trading data and benchmarks
  2. 02 what it does

    Activities

    • Licensing data
  3. 03 who it serves

    Customers

    • Data vendors, banks, trading firms
  4. 04 how money comes in

    How it earns

    • Market data fees
    • Benchmark licensing

Market data and other: how it makes money

  • Market data revenue was $803M in 2025 (+13%), a record $238M in Q2 2026 and a record $243M (+20%) in Q3 2026.

Government & regulation around the business

Non-market factors from the company’s filings: what governments and regulators fund, buy, set, approve or restrict, and which part of the flow above each one touches.

CME’s exchanges and clearing house operate under regulators that can fine, suspend or restrict them.

  • Approvals & licenses

    Regulatory compliance

    Noncompliance could bring censure, fines, cease-and-desist orders or suspension of business.

    Constrains the businessTouches: Activities

    Source: Form 10-K (FY2025)

Revenue by segment (FY2025)

Unit: $M — bar length = revenue, (%) = share of total company revenue

  • Interest rates

    1,719.6 (26%)
  • Equity indexes

    1,170.4 (18%)
  • Energy

    813.2 (12%)
  • Agricultural commodities

    658.1 (10%)
  • Metals

    354.7 (5%)
  • Foreign exchange

    197 (3%)
  • BrokerTec, EBS, and swaps

    368.1 (6%)
  • Market data

    803.1 (12%)
  • Other

    436.4 (7%)

Source: Form 10-K (FY2025) — Revenue Recognition note, disaggregation of revenue CME reports one segment; these are revenues by product line. BrokerTec $151M, EBS $133M, and interest rate swaps $84M are combined.

10

Contract structureSite analysisShow

Short-term or spot sales carry different earnings quality than long-term or auto-renewing contracts — this shows how the company actually contracts with its customers.

CME earns fees on each contract traded and cleared; its clearing house becomes the counterparty to every trade and holds margin and guaranty fund collateral.

  • Clearing house credit facility

    $7B multi-currency secured facility (can rise to $10B)

    Typical term: 364-day, amended April 2026

    Provides temporary liquidity if a clearing firm fails to meet obligations.

Source: 8-K filed 2026-04-27

11

Alliances & capital tiesSite analysisShow

Equity stakes, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships disclosed across the 10-K, 8-Ks, and proxy statement.

12

Customers & suppliersSite analysis

Who the company sells to and buys from. Companies rarely name either, so named counterparties come only from the company's own filings and press releases; otherwise this lists the concentration figures the 10-K discloses.

Customers

Clearing firms, banks, asset managers, hedge funds, proprietary traders, commercial hedgers, and retail traders through brokers.

Named by the company

No customer is named.

What the filings disclose

  • Non-U.S. ADV was a third-quarter high of 9 million contracts in Q3 2026. (8-K filed 2026-10-21 (Exhibit 99.1))

Suppliers

Technology providers, including Google Cloud, and data center operators.

Named by the company

None named in the 10-K or the company’s press releases.

13

Competitors & peersSite analysis

Competitors the 10-K names, and the peer group the company itself chose in its proxy statement. Nothing here is this site's own pick.

CME's 10-K names ICE, Cboe, Euronext, HKEX, and Deutsche Börse as competitors, plus new entrants such as FMX Futures Exchange, digital asset platforms, and prediction markets.

Competitors named in the 10-K

Exchanges

Plus FMX Futures Exchange, digital asset platforms, and prediction markets.

Source: Form 10-K (FY2025) — Item 1, Competition

Peer group the company chose

2025 compensation peer group, from the proxy statement. Peers are companies the board considers comparable — for example when setting executive pay — not necessarily direct competitors.

Exchanges, financial services, technology, and transaction services companies of roughly 0.5–2.5 times CME's size.

Source: Proxy statement (DEF 14A, filed 2026-03-23) — Compensation Peer Group

Company names link to this site’s analysis where one exists; “site ↗” opens the company’s own website.

14

Six years of financialsFrom SEC data

Each chart's axis holds a single unit (never mixing dollars, %, and $/share). The table's per-period header links to the filing the numbers came from.

Revenue over time

Unit: $M

Source: each period's Form 10-K (SEC EDGAR). Latest: filed 2026-02-26

Profit over time (operating → net)

Unit: $M

  • Operating income
  • Pretax income
  • Net income

Source: each period's Form 10-K (SEC EDGAR). Latest: filed 2026-02-26

Margins over time

Unit: %

  • Operating margin
  • Net margin

formulaoperating income ÷ revenue × 100

termsOperating income · Revenue (net sales)

formulanet income attributable to the company ÷ revenue × 100

termsNet income (attributable to the company)

Cash flow over time

Unit: $M (below zero = cash went out)

  • Operating CF
  • Investing CF
  • Free CF

formulacash flow from operations − capital expenditures

termsFree cash flow (FCF) · Cash flow from operations (operating CF) · Capital expenditures (capex)

Source: each period's Form 10-K (SEC EDGAR). Latest: filed 2026-02-26

Financial stability & capital efficiency

Unit: %

  • Equity ratio
  • ROE

formulatotal equity ÷ total assets × 100 (as reported in the 10-K)

termsStockholders’ equity · Total assets

formulanet income ÷ average equity (beginning + ending, ÷2) × 100 (as reported in the 10-K)

termsNet income (attributable to the company) · Stockholders’ equity

Earnings per share (EPS) and dividend per share

Unit: $

  • EPS
  • Dividend per share

Source: each period's Form 10-K (SEC EDGAR). Latest: filed 2026-02-26

Line itemFY202010-K on EDGAR ↗FY202110-K on EDGAR ↗FY202210-K on EDGAR ↗FY202310-K on EDGAR ↗FY202410-K on EDGAR ↗FY202510-K on EDGAR ↗
Income statement ($M)
Revenue4,8844,6905,0195,5796,1306,521
Operating income2,6372,6453,0163,4363,9324,230
Pretax income2,7223,3743,4904,1544,5415,331
Net income (attributable)2,1062,6372,6913,2263,5264,072
Revenue growthcalc(this year’s revenue − last year’s revenue) ÷ last year’s revenue × 100—-4.0%7.0%11.1%9.9%6.4%
Operating margincalcoperating income ÷ revenue × 10054.0%56.4%60.1%61.6%64.1%64.9%
Net margincalcnet income attributable to the company ÷ revenue × 10043.1%56.2%53.6%57.8%57.5%62.5%
Balance sheet ($M)
Total assets124,660196,780174,176129,706137,447198,424
Total equity26,35227,39926,87926,73826,48728,728
Interest-bearing debtSum of short- and long-term borrowings, notes/bonds payable3,4443,4453,4223,4252,6783,422
Equity ratio21.1%13.9%15.4%20.6%19.3%14.5%
ROE8.0%9.8%9.9%12.0%13.2%14.8%
Cash flow ($M)
Operating CF2,7162,4023,0563,4543,6914,277
Investing CF-17558-49021-831,499
Financing CF47,24769,909-25,382-48,3395,07756,510
Free cash flowcalccash flow from operations − capital expenditures2,5182,2752,9663,3773,5974,194
Cash and equivalents1,6332,8352,7202,9122,8924,417
Per share & other
EPS ($)5.877.297.408.869.6711.16
BVPS ($)73.5076.4174.8974.4373.6680.03
Dividend per share ($)5.906.858.509.6510.4011.15
Payout ratiocalcdividend per share ÷ diluted EPS × 100100.5%94.0%114.9%108.9%107.5%99.9%
P/E (x)31.031.322.723.824.024.5
EV/EBITDA (x)calc(market cap + interest-bearing debt − cash and equivalents) ÷ (operating income + depreciation & amortization)24.029.619.421.420.622.4
P/B (x)calcfiscal year-end closing price ÷ book value per share2.482.992.252.833.153.41

P/B and EV/EBITDA use each period’s period-end (fiscal year-end) figures, not the current share price. Figures without a "calc" tag are as reported in the Form 10-K (the consolidated financial statements and, for older years, earlier 10-Ks), pulled automatically from SEC EDGAR. Where a later filing restated a prior period, the restated figure is used.

Last 8 quarters

Three-month figures from 10-Q filings. Change is versus the same quarter a year earlier. Newest quarter on top.

Quarter endedRevenueOperating incomeNet incomeDiluted EPS
2026-09-30$1.74B+13.0%$1.14B+17.4%$1.04B+14.2%$2.89
2026-06-30$1.71B+0.8%$1.11B-2.0%$1.04B+1.6%$2.88
2026-03-31$1.88B+14.5%$1.31B+18.2%—$3.18
2025-12-31 †$1.65B+8.1%$1.02B+7.7%——
2025-09-30$1.54B$973M$908M$2.49
2025-06-30$1.69B$1.13B$1.03B$2.81
2025-03-31$1.64B$1.11B—$2.62
2024-12-31 †$1.53B$947M——

† Fourth quarter = the 10-K’s annual figure minus the first three quarters; quarterly EPS isn’t derived this way because share counts change during the year.

15

Is ROIC above WACC?From SEC data

ROIC (the return on money invested in the business) above WACC (the cost of raising that money) means the company is creating value. WACC is an estimate, so its assumptions can be adjusted below.

ROIC (FY2025)

10.6%

formulaoperating income × (1 − tax rate) ÷ invested capital × 100 *invested capital = interest-bearing debt + total equity (average of beginning/ending)

e.g.$4,230M × (1 − 23%) ÷ $30,658M × 100 = 10.6%

termsOperating income · Effective tax rate · Invested capital · Interest-bearing debt · Total equity

WACC (this site’s estimate)

7.04%

formulacost of equity × equity weight + cost of debt × (1 − tax rate) × debt weight

e.g.Equity weight: $98.02B ÷ ($98.02B + $3.42B) = 96.6%

e.g.Debt weight: $3.42B ÷ ($98.02B + $3.42B) = 3.4%

e.g.WACC: 7.2% × 96.6% + 5.1% × (1 − 23%) × 3.4% = 7.04%

termsCost of equity · Equity weight (E/(D+E)) · Cost of debt · (1 − tax rate) · Debt weight (D/(D+E)) · Market capitalization

ROIC − WACC

+3.6pt▲favorable

Earning more than the cost of capital (ROIC > WACC in 4 of 6 years)

formulaROIC − WACC (positive means the business earns more than its cost of capital)

termsROIC · WACC

How firm is this? With the equity risk premium ±1 point and beta ±0.2, WACC runs 5.8%–8.7% and ROIC − WACC runs +1.9 to +4.8 points. The sign holds across this range. This describes the latest year and does not predict future value creation.

WACC 7.04% is this site’s estimate under the assumptions below (not a figure the company has published)

Risk-free rate
4.95% (10-year Treasury, 2026-11-03)
β
0.40 (price-derived adjusted beta, but correlation with the market is low (R² 0.01), so reliability is limited)
Equity risk premium
5.5%
Cost of equity
7.15%
Cost of debt
5.07%
Tax rate
23% (effective rate, FY2023–FY2025)
Capital structure (equity : debt)
97% : 3%
→ Change assumptions and recalculate

ROIC over time, vs. WACC

Unit: % — bars = each period's ROIC, horizontal line = latest WACC. Bars above the line are green, below are red

  • ROIC (above WACC)
  • ROIC (below WACC)
  • WACC 7.04%

formulaoperating income × (1 − tax rate) ÷ invested capital × 100 *invested capital = interest-bearing debt + total equity (average of beginning/ending)

termsOperating income · Effective tax rate · Invested capital · Interest-bearing debt · Total equity

formulacost of equity × equity weight + cost of debt × (1 − tax rate) × debt weight

termsCost of equity · Equity weight (E/(D+E)) · Cost of debt · (1 − tax rate) · Debt weight (D/(D+E)) · Market capitalization

Try different WACC assumptions

β and the equity risk premium are estimates with a real range of plausible values — move the sliders to check whether ROIC > WACC still holds. The risk-free rate starts at the 10-year Treasury yield on 2026-11-03 (U.S. Treasury).

Initial β: 0.40 (price-derived adjusted beta. Raw β 0.10, R² 0.01, 130 weeks)

formula0.67 × β + 0.33 (β = the slope of weekly stock returns regressed on weekly market returns)

e.g.0.67 × 0.099 + 0.33 = 0.396

termsβ (beta)

Period 2024-05-10–2026-11-04, using S&P 500 ETF (SPY) as the market proxy. Source: Yahoo Finance price history.

Cost of equity7.15%

formularisk-free rate + β × equity risk premium

e.g.5.0% + 0.4 × 5.5% = 7.2%

termsCAPM · Risk-free rate · β (beta) · Equity risk premium (market risk premium)

Market value of equity$98.02B

formulafiscal year-end closing price × shares outstanding (= market cap)

termsMarket capitalization · Market value of equity

Interest-bearing debt$3.42B
Cost of debt5.07%

formulainterest expense ÷ interest-bearing debt × 100 (clamped to 0–10%; falls back to the risk-free rate if there’s no debt)

termsInterest-bearing debt · Risk-free rate

Capital structure (equity weight : debt weight)97% : 3%

16

What the price implies (DCF)From SEC data

A company's value can be written as its free cash flow divided by (cost of capital − perpetual growth). Working that backwards from the market's valuation shows how much growth the share price assumed — compared here with the company's actual past growth.

Growth the price implies (price on 2026-11-04)

3.1%

Perpetual FCF growth: g = r − FCF ÷ EV = 7.0% − 3.9%

Past FCF growth (FY2020–FY2025)

+10.7%

Compound annual rate, 5 years

Past revenue growth (FY2020–FY2025)

+6.0%

Compound annual rate, 5 years

Inputs (FY2025): free cash flow $4.19B (operating CF − capex); enterprise value $107.65B = market cap $108.77B (latest close, 2026-11-04) + debt $3.42B − cash and short-term investments $4.54B; r = WACC of 7.0% using this page’s default assumptions (β 0.40, risk-free 5.0%, market premium 5.5%).

Three WACC scenarios

The same calculation under cautious, base and optimistic cost-of-capital assumptions (risk-free rate fixed at the 10-year Treasury yield). Pick one to load it into the sliders below.

Try your own assumptions

V = FCF ÷ (r − g). It starts at the implied growth rate, where the theoretical value equals today’s enterprise value.

Theoretical enterprise value

$107.53B

FCF $4.19B ÷ (7.0% − 3.1%)

Theoretical ÷ actual enterprise value

1.00x

Below 1x: these assumptions value the business below the market did

How sensitive the answer is

Theoretical ÷ actual enterprise value for each combination of r and g.

g \ r5.0%6.0%7.0%8.0%9.0%
0%0.78x0.65x0.56x0.49x0.43x
2%1.30x0.97x0.78x0.65x0.56x
4%3.90x1.95x1.30x0.97x0.78x
6%——3.90x1.95x1.30x
8%————3.90x

A simplified model for seeing what the market price assumes, not a forecast or a target price. It treats free cash flow as growing at one constant rate forever; the result swings widely with small changes in r and g, and is undefined when g reaches r. Free cash flow here is operating cash flow minus capex, which is after interest — a full DCF of enterprise value would use cash flow before interest. Market cap uses the latest close (2026-11-04) × shares at fiscal year-end; free cash flow and WACC inputs are from the latest fiscal year.

17

Earnings qualityFrom SEC dataShow

The same reported profit can mean different things depending on whether it's backed by cash, driven by the core business, or the result of a one-off item. Four checks below.

  • ✓

    Operating CF ÷ net income: averages 1.08x

    Profit is backed by cash coming in.

  • ✓

    Accrual ratio (latest): -0.1%

    A small share of profit rests on accounting estimates.

  • ✓

    Core-earnings share (operating income ÷ pretax income): 79%

    Most profit comes from core operations.

  • ✓

    Days sales outstanding: 34 → 34 days

    No major slowdown in collecting on sales.

Operating CF vs. net income

Unit: $M — operating CF above net income means profit is backed by cash

  • Operating CF
  • Net income

formulacash flow from operations ÷ net income attributable to the company

termsCash flow from operations (operating CF) · Net income (attributable to the company)

formula(net income − operating CF) ÷ average total assets × 100

termsNet income (attributable to the company) · Cash flow from operations (operating CF) · Total assets

Source: each period's Form 10-K (SEC EDGAR). Latest: filed 2026-02-26

Profit bridge (FY2025)

Unit: $M — what moved profit from operating income to net income

  • Profit (each stage)
  • Pushed profit up
  • Pushed profit down

formulaoperating income ÷ income before income taxes × 100

termsOperating income · Income before income taxes (pretax income)

Source: each period's Form 10-K (SEC EDGAR). Latest: filed 2026-02-26

Receivables & inventory days

Unit: days — days grow when receivables or inventory build up faster than sales

  • Days sales outstanding

formulaaverage receivables (opening + closing ÷ 2) ÷ revenue × 365

termsAccounts receivable · Revenue (net sales)

formulaaverage inventory (opening + closing ÷ 2) ÷ cost of revenue × 365

termsInventory · Cost of revenue (COGS)

Worked examples (latest period)

formulacash flow from operations ÷ net income attributable to the company

e.g.$4,277M ÷ $4,072M = 1.05x

termsCash flow from operations (operating CF) · Net income (attributable to the company)

formulaoperating income ÷ income before income taxes × 100

e.g.$4,230M ÷ $5,331M × 100 = 79%

termsOperating income · Income before income taxes (pretax income)

formulaaverage receivables (opening + closing ÷ 2) ÷ revenue × 365

e.g.($573M + $639M) ÷ 2 ÷ $6,521M × 365 = 34 days

termsAccounts receivable · Revenue (net sales)

formulaaverage inventory (opening + closing ÷ 2) ÷ cost of revenue × 365

termsInventory · Cost of revenue (COGS)

18

Who holds the sharesFrom SEC dataShow

How much of the stock large institutional investors report owning on SEC Form 13F, how much the directors and executive officers hold (and how much of the vote they control), and roughly how much is left for individual investors. Shown next to beta so the holder mix can be read alongside how much the stock swings.

Institutions, insiders and everyone else — Class A shares, 13F holdings as of 2026-06-30

“Everyone else” is what remains after shares reported on Form 13F and shares held by directors and executive officers: mostly individual investors, plus non-insider families or foundations and smaller or foreign institutions. The figures have different dates and 13F reports count some shares twice — read it as an approximate split.

Held by 13F filers
89.5%
Directors & officers (shares)
0.3%

of Class A shares

Everyone else (est.)
10.2%

individuals and other non-13F holders

Directors & officers (voting power)
—

not stated in the proxy

Institutional-ownership rank
197 of 416

1 = most institutional; 47% of covered companies have more

Beta (adjusted)
0.40

above 1 = swings more than the market

  • 322.0M shares reported by 1,704 13F filers ÷ 359.6M Class A shares outstanding on 2026-07-08. Option positions are excluded.
  • Only the listed Class A shares are counted; other share classes (often held by founders) are not in this figure.
  • Directors and executive officers as a group, from the proxy statement’s beneficial-ownership table; includes shares they can acquire within 60 days.
  • A large “everyone else” share can still reflect a family, trust or foundation stake held outside the board; check the proxy statement’s 5% holders.

Sources: SEC Form 13F data set (holdings as of 2026-06-30) · Form DEF 14A filed None (beneficial ownership table) · Form 10-Q cover page (shares outstanding as of 2026-07-08)

19

Strengths & weaknessesSite analysis

Strengths

  1. 1. Record volumes

    ADV reached a record 28.1M contracts in 2025, and H1 2026 was the strongest half in CME's history.

    Evidence: Form 10-K (FY2025) Item 1; 8-K filed 2026-07-22

  2. 2. Very high margins

    Operating income was $4.23B on $6.52B of revenue in 2025 (65%).

    Evidence: SEC EDGAR XBRL

  3. 3. Benchmark products

    Owns benchmark contracts across rates, equities, energy, metals, and agriculture, and CME Term SOFR.

    Evidence: Form 10-K (FY2025) Item 1

  4. 4. Generous capital return

    Dividends paid were $3.93B in 2025, including an annual variable dividend; a $6.15 variable dividend was declared in February 2026.

    Evidence: Form 10-K (FY2025)

Weaknesses

  1. 1. Volume dependence

    Most revenue is per-contract fees, so it depends on trading activity.

    Evidence: Form 10-K (FY2025) revenue note

  2. 2. Clearing firm pressure

    Some large clearing firms argue that clearing houses should be utilities or controlled by clearing firms and could push for rule changes.

    Evidence: Form 10-K (FY2025) Item 1A

20

What draws investors to itSite analysis

Why the stock can look attractive to investors — each point paired with what has to hold for it to stay true, and the opposing view. This is this site's analysis, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

P/E (FY2025)

24.5x

Price at fiscal year-end ÷ diluted EPS

Dividend yield (FY2025)

4.08%

Dividends per share ÷ fiscal year-end price

Payout ratio (FY2025)

100%

Dividends per share ÷ diluted EPS

FCF yield (FY2025)

4.3%

(Operating CF − capex) ÷ market cap

  1. 1. Large dividends

    CME declared regular dividends of $5.00 per share in 2025 plus an annual variable dividend ($6.15 declared in February 2026).

    What has to hold
    Volumes and profits stay high.
    The other side
    The variable dividend can fall when results weaken.

    Evidence: Form 10-K (FY2025)

  2. 2. Steady growth

    EPS rose from $7.29 (2021) to $11.16 (2025).

    What has to hold
    Hedging demand keeps growing.
    The other side
    New competitors target its core products.

    Evidence: SEC EDGAR XBRL

P/E, dividend yield, and payout ratio use the FY2025 year-end share price. Dividends per share are declared amounts for the year's results, including the annual variable dividend (for 2025, declared in February 2026). Total assets include clearing members' performance bonds and guaranty fund contributions.

21

ResilienceSite analysisShow

How well the company could absorb a bad year: its financial buffer, how its revenue and profit held up in the worst year on record, and what the 10-K says about the business's exposure to shocks. Figures and filing statements only — no overall rating.

1. Financial buffer (FY2025)

Cash & short-term investments ÷ debt due within a year

No debt due

$4.54B vs. $0

Interest coverage (operating income ÷ interest expense)

24.4x

$4.23B vs. $173M

Free cash flow ÷ dividends paid

1.1x

$4.19B vs. $3.93B (FCF = operating CF − capex)

2. Worst year in the record, and the recovery

FigureWorst year-over-year changeBack to the prior level?
Revenue-4.0% in FY2021 ($4.88B → $4.69B)Yes, by FY2022
Operating incomeNo decline in the record—

Covers only the 6 fiscal years on record (FY2020–FY2025), which may not include a full recession — the worst year here isn’t necessarily how the company would fare in a severe downturn.

3. Business resilience (from the 10-K)

  • Clearing protections

    A $7B secured credit facility for the clearing house, expandable to $10B.

    Source: 8-K filed 2026-04-27

  • Profitability

    Operating margin of about 65% in 2025.

    Source: SEC EDGAR XBRL

23

Risks (including geopolitical)Site analysis

Starting from the 10-K's Risk Factors section, organized by category — geopolitical, currency, raw materials, regulatory, disaster, and more — with impact and likelihood assessed by this site.

Risk map

Vertical = impact on results, horizontal = likelihood. Upper right = most severe. Numbers match the list below (placement is this site’s own assessment).

Impact
High
34
Med
125
Low
LowMedHigh

Likelihood →

"Company disclosure" vs. "this site’s assessment"

The description and mitigation for each risk are this site’s summary of the 10-K’s "Risk Factors" section. Impact and likelihood are this site’s own assessment, not the company’s — where the company discloses its own likelihood assessment, that is noted in the summary.

Impact is judged from how large the affected business is relative to total revenue/profit, and from the risk’s track record of moving results in the past. Likelihood is judged from the filing’s wording and the current business environment (already occurring, or recurring). See the rating criteria.

  1. 1Competition & technology shift

    Exchange competition and new entrants

    Company disclosure (summarized from the 10-K)
    Competitors include ICE, Cboe, Euronext, HKEX, Deutsche Börse, the new FMX Futures Exchange, digital asset platforms, and prediction markets.
    Company’s stated mitigation
    New products (micro contracts, options, event contracts) and capital efficiencies for clients.
    This site’s assessment
    Impact Med / Likelihood Med
  2. 2Law & regulation

    Regulation

    Company disclosure (summarized from the 10-K)
    Changes in CFTC and other regulation could affect clearing and trading, including clearing firms' push for open access to clearing.
    Company’s stated mitigation
    Not stated in the filings.
    This site’s assessment
    Impact Med / Likelihood Med
  3. 3Funding & liquidity

    Clearing house default risk

    Company disclosure (summarized from the 10-K)
    A clearing firm default could create losses or liquidity needs at the clearing house.
    Company’s stated mitigation
    Margin, guaranty funds, and a $7B secured credit facility.
    This site’s assessment
    Impact High / Likelihood Low
  4. 4Information security

    Technology and cyber

    Company disclosure (summarized from the 10-K)
    Platform outages, cyberattacks, and the transition to Google Cloud could disrupt trading.
    Company’s stated mitigation
    Business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
    This site’s assessment
    Impact High / Likelihood Low
  5. 5Demand & macro

    Trading activity

    Company disclosure (summarized from the 10-K)
    Lower volatility or hedging needs could reduce volumes and fees.
    Company’s stated mitigation
    Not stated in the filings.
    This site’s assessment
    Impact Med / Likelihood Med

24

What changed in the risk factorsFrom SEC data

Paragraphs in the latest 10-K's Risk Factors that have little overlap with the year before, and paragraphs that were dropped.

New or substantially reworded (6)

  • Legislation regarding the regulatory market structure applicable to the trading and clearing of spot digital assets is currently being considered in Congress. Read more

    It is not yet certain whether the legislation will be signed into law or whether it will have any impact on listed derivatives regulation.

  • The legal status of certain event-based contracts, most notably those based on sports events, is the subject of litigation in various jurisdictions. Read more

    The outcome of these cases, new laws or regulations, or changes in the interpretation of existing laws or regulations could immediately or subsequently impact our ability to offer certain event contracts and could subject us to additional litigation or regulatory scrutiny.

  • Trading volume in our markets and products is largely driven by the degree of volatility - the magnitude and frequency of fluctuations - in prices and levels of the underlying commodities, securities, indices, financial benchmarks or other instruments. Volatility increases the need to hedge price risk and creates opportunities for investment and speculative or arbitrage trading. Were there to be a sustained period of stability in the prices or levels of the underlying commodities, securities, indices, benchmarks or other instruments of our products, we could experience lower trading volumes, slower growth or declines in revenues.

  • management from the operation of our derivatives clearing house, the operation of a securities clearing house is new to our business.

  • Our use of artificial intelligence in our business may be unsuccessful and may give rise to various risks, which could adversely affect our business, reputation or operating results.

  • Our financial performance depends, in part, on our ability to develop and market new and innovative services that differentiate our products or provide cost efficiencies, while avoiding increased related expenses. Read more

    As artificial intelligence is a new and evolving technology in the early stages of commercial use, there are significant risks involved in the development and deployment of artificial intelligence. Moreover, there can be no assurance that our use of artificial intelligence in our business processes, system development, operations, or as part of our product and service offerings will enhance our products or services or augment our business or operating results. Market acceptance of artificial intelligence technologies is uncertain, and we may be unsuccessful in our product development efforts. Our artificial intelligence-related product initiatives and offerings, or use in our…

Matched automatically, quoted as filed, and may include rewording of an existing risk. Compares Item 1A of the 10-K filed Feb 26, 2026 ↗ with the 10-K filed Feb 27, 2025 ↗.

25

What to watch going forwardSite analysis

  • CEO transition to Lynne Fitzpatrick in 2027.
  • Event contracts and the FanDuel venture.
  • Competition from FMX and digital asset platforms.
  • Google Cloud migration costs.
  • Size of the annual variable dividend.

26

Source documentsShow

This page's financial figures come from the Form 10-Ks listed below. Check the original filings for full detail.

Last updated

Analysis last edited: October 31, 2026 · Financial data fetched: October 17, 2026 10:20 (SEC EDGAR) · Source 10-K filed: February 26, 2026

Built on10-K FY2025 · filed 2026-02-26

Next update expectedAfter FY2026’s 10-K is filed (roughly 60–90 days after fiscal year end (sooner for larger filers)), financials and analysis will be refreshed.

This page is this site’s own analysis based on public information, and does not represent CME Group’s views. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security, and this site does not guarantee the accuracy of any figure or statement here. Always verify against the original source documents before making an investment decision.