Morgan Stanley Raises CME Price Target to $359
Key Points
- Morgan Stanley maintained its Overweight rating on CME Group Inc. on October 22, 2026, lifting its price target to $359 from $337.
- Morgan Stanley's $359 price target implies 21.37% upside from CME Group Inc.'s ($CME) current $295.79 share price.
- The stock closed at $306.20 on October 22, 2026, and recently traded around $295.79.
- Several other Wall Street firms updated their targets for the exchange operator on the same day, featuring various outlooks.
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On October 22, 2026, Morgan Stanley maintained its Overweight rating on CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CME) while raising its price target to $359.00 from $337.00. The research note was issued alongside updates from multiple other major financial institutions covering the exchange operator.
CME
CME Group Inc.
Morgan Stanley vs. the S&P 500
Hypothetical returns from Morgan Stanley's disclosed trades, not real profit or advice. How we model this.
Morgan Stanley's Call on CME Group Inc.
In its October 22 note, Morgan Stanley kept its Overweight stance on the financial markets firm, lifting the target by $22 to $359. The call positions the firm's outlook well above the broader analyst consensus mean target for the stock.
Other Institutional Activity in CME Group Inc.
Sanders Capital, LLC grew its holdings by 906,692 shares, ending with 5,067,740 shares worth about $1,551,716,686 in its quarter ended June 30, 2026.
CME Group Inc. Stock Up 0.8%
CME Group Inc. shares closed at $306.20 on October 22, 2026. As of October 22, 2026, the stock recently traded around $295.79, sitting down about 3.4% since that event close. The share price remains above its 50-day moving average of $274.96 and above its 200-day moving average of $278.92. The stock trades 10.1% below its 52-week high of $329.16 and 35.5% above its 52-week low of $218.31.
$CME price target
CME Group Inc. daily closes and this analyst's $359 target. Not advice.
Recent Earnings
CME Group Inc. reported trailing twelve-year revenue of $6,757,199,872 alongside trailing earnings of $11.79 per share. The business posted a net profit margin of 63.4% and a return on equity of 15.8%, supported by year-over-year revenue growth of 0.8%.
Earnings drift grade
Outlook vs expectations on the last report — not price action.
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Forward outlook
2 target cuts vs 0 raises.
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EPS & revenue
EPS missed estimates by 1.2%. Revenue missed estimates by 1.6%.
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Profit surprise
EBITDA missed by 6 percent. Operating income missed by 5 percent.
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Pre-earnings setup
Expectations were about average.
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Analyst signal
2 target cuts.
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Earnings quality
Gross margin up 0.7 points. Operating margin up 2.2 points. Positive free cash flow.
Earnings Call Summary
CME delivered a record first quarter with average daily volume of 36.2 million contracts, up 22 percent year-over-year, marking the highest in company history. Revenue reached $1.88 billion, up 14 percent, with record performance across all six asset classes and international markets. The company achieved record adjusted operating margins of 72.8 percent and adjusted earnings per share of $3.36, returning $3.2 billion to shareholders through dividends and buybacks.
Guidance CME reaffirmed its full-year adjusted expense guidance of about $1.695 billion. The company expects to continue investing in technology and cloud migration while maintaining capital returns through dividends and share buybacks.
Severe negative reset. The report materially damaged the forward outlook and likely forces major downward revisions.
Dividend
CME Group Inc. pays an annual dividend rate of $5.20 per share, giving it a dividend yield of 1.76%. The payout ratio stands at 95.4%.
Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group Inc.
Director William R. Shepard bought 339 shares on June 25, 2026, at an average price of $230.57 for a total value of $78,186. Later, Chief Executive Officer Terrence A. Duffy sold 15,000 shares on September 10, 2026, valued at $4,116,539. Director Elizabeth A. Cook sold 500 shares on September 14, 2026, at an average price of $280.11 for a total value of $140,055. Finally, William R. Shepard bought another 292 shares on September 25, 2026, at an average price of $268.76 for a total value of $78,626.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Wall Street firms updated their outlooks on October 22, 2026. Barclays maintained its Equal-Weight rating while lifting its price target to $321.00 from $281.00. Wells Fargo maintained its Overweight rating and raised its target from $315.00 to $333.00. Piper Sandler reiterated its Overweight rating, pushing its target to $330.00 from $295.00. JP Morgan upgraded the stock to an Overweight rating with a $367.00 price target. The stock carries a consensus Hold recommendation and a mean price target of $292.94 across 16 analyst opinions.
About CME Group Inc.
CME Group Inc. operates electronic global trading platforms where market participants buy and sell futures and options contracts. Its markets cover interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural items, energy, and metals. Financial institutions and institutional investors use these derivatives to manage risk or adjust exposure across asset classes.
Bottom Line
Investors tracking the stock will watch how shares perform relative to Morgan Stanley's new target and the broader analyst consensus. The company's upcoming earnings reports will provide further insight into trading volume trends across its core futures and options markets.
Related Filing Alerts
Source: Morgan Stanley's rating change on $CME (Oct 22, 2026). Written by software, not financial advice. How we make alerts