CME vs. Morningstar: Which Financial Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?
CME Group earns a net margin of about 62% and carries little debt, and Morningstar trades at a lower valuation but has taken on debt while repurchasing shares and acquiring CRSP.
Investors often find themselves deciding between market infrastructure and financial data providers when considering which stocks to buy. In this analysis, we compare CME Group (NASDAQ: CME), a derivatives exchange operator, and Morningstar (NASDAQ: MORN), an investment research and data provider. Both companies play crucial roles in global financial markets, and their financial health and risk profiles are compared herein.
CME Group facilitates trading in futures and options across six asset classes, such as interest rates and energy. The company's 2025 annual report highlights a strategic partnership with Google Cloud, Alphabet's subsidiary (NASDAQ: GOOGL), signed in 2021. Additionally, CME's collaboration with Flutter Entertainment's FanDuel (NYSE: FLUT) resulted in a prediction markets app for retail customers, launched in December 2025.
However, the report notes that one firm accounted for 12% of CME's clearing and transaction fees revenue in 2025, indicating a significant concentration risk.
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