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CME GroupCME +0.44%78 Debt-to-EBITDA is 0.52 as of Mar. 2026, which is 39% below its 10-year median of 0.85. GuruFocus rates CME with a GF Score™ of 78/100 and a GF Value™ of $271.55 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 422 Capital Markets companies, CME Group ranks better than 66.82% on this metric.
Debt-to-EBITDA measures a company's ability to pay off its debt.
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt. According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
The historical rank and industry rank for CME Group's Debt-to-EBITDA or its related term are showing as below:
CME'
s Debt-to-EBITDA Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 0.56 Med: 0.85 Max: 1.38
Current: 0.56
During the past 13 years, the highest Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio of CME Group was 1.38. The lowest was 0.56. And the median was 0.85.
CME's Debt-to-EBITDA is ranked better than 66.82% of 422
companies
in the Capital Markets industry
Industry Median: 1.6
vs CME: 0.56
A high Debt-to-EBITDA ratio generally means that a company may spend more time to paying off its debt.
According to Joel Tillinghast's BIG MONEY THINKS SMALL: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing, a ratio of Debt-to-EBITDA exceeding four is usually considered scary unless tangible assets cover the debt.
CME Group Debt-to-EBITDA Related Terms
CME Group Debt-to-EBITDA Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for CME Group's Debt-to-EBITDA can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
For the Financial Data & Stock Exchanges subindustry, CME Group's Debt-to-EBITDA, along with its competitors' market caps and Debt-to-EBITDA data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
CME Group Debt-to-EBITDA vs Capital Markets Industry
For the Capital Markets industry and Financial Services sector, CME Group's Debt-to-EBITDA distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where CME Group's Debt-to-EBITDA falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
In the calculation of annual Debt-to-EBITDA, the EBITDA of the last fiscal year is used. In calculating the annualized quarterly data,
the EBITDA data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) EBITDA data.
CME Group (CME) has a Debt-to-EBITDA of 0.52 as of Mar. 2026. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on CME Group. This is 39% below median its historical median of 0.85. Over the past decade, CME Group's Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 0.56 to 1.38. According to the industry distribution chart, CME Group ranks #140 out of 422 companies in the Capital Markets industry, placing it in the top 33.2%.
Is CME Group's Debt-to-EBITDA too high?
CME Group's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 0.52 is 39% below median its 10-year median of 0.85. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.56 to a high of 1.38. The Capital Markets industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.60. CME Group's value of 0.52 is 67.5% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, CME Group ranks #140 out of 422 companies in the Capital Markets industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, CME Group has a GF Score™ of 78/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does CME Group's Debt-to-EBITDA compare to MCO and ICE?
According to the Capital Markets industry distribution chart, CME Group ranks #140 out of 422 companies for Debt-to-EBITDA. This puts CME Group in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.60. CME Group's value of 0.52 is 67.5% below this benchmark. Historically, CME Group's own Debt-to-EBITDA has ranged from 0.56 to 1.38 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 0.85 vs. the industry median of 1.60, CME Group has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Debt-to-EBITDA for a Capital Markets company?
The median Debt-to-EBITDA among Capital Markets companies is 1.60, based on 422 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Debt-to-EBITDA significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Debt-to-EBITDA should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. CME Group's current Debt-to-EBITDA of 0.52 is 67.5% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Debt-to-EBITDA mean?
A high Debt-to-EBITDA can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Debt-to-EBITDA ratio represents the ratio of total debt to total earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. View historical data on CME Group. For the Capital Markets industry, the median Debt-to-EBITDA is 1.60 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. CME Group's current Debt-to-EBITDA is 0.52, which is 39% below median its own 10-year median of 0.85. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is CME Group stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, CME Group (CME) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $271.55, compared to a current price of $246.27 — trading 9.3% below its estimated fair value. The current Debt-to-EBITDA is 0.52, which is 39% below median its 10-year median of 0.85 and 67.5% below the Capital Markets industry median of 1.60. CME Group's overall GF Score™ is 78/100 with 3 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Debt-to-EBITDA calculated?
Debt-to-EBITDA is calculated from a company's financial statements. For CME Group (CME), the current Debt-to-EBITDA is 0.52 as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is CME Group (CME) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, CME Group stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $246.27 is trading 9.3% below its estimated GF Value™ of $271.55.
GuruFocus considers CME Group to be Fairly Valued.
Key valuation signals for CME:
Debt-to-EBITDA: 0.52 (39% below median its 10-year median of 0.85)
GF Value™: $271.55 vs. price of $246.27 (9.3% below fair value)
Industry Position: 67.5% below the Capital Markets median (#140 of 422)
No single metric tells the full story. See the CME stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Based in Chicago, CME Group operates exchanges giving investors, suppliers, and businesses the ability to trade futures and derivatives based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign currencies, energy, metals, and commodities. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange was founded in 1898 and in 2002 completed its IPO. Since then, CME Group has consolidated parts of the industry by merging with crosstown rival CBOT Holdings in 2007 before acquiring Nymex Holdings in 2008 and NEX in 2018. In addition, the company has a 27% stake in S&P Dow Jones Indexes, making the Chicago Mercantile Exchange the exclusive venue to trade and clear S&P futures contracts. Through CME's acquisition of NEX, it also expanded into cash foreign exchange, fixed-income trading, and collateral optimization.
78GF Score
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