AFRM vs. CME: Affirm vs. CME Stock Comparison
How do Affirm (AFRM) and CME (CME) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
Affirm (AFRM) and CME (CME) both fall under the Financial Services industry group, but AFRM is classified in Financial Services while CME is classified in Capital Markets.
CME (CME) has more than two decades of public-market history since December 6, 2002, whereas Affirm (AFRM) listed on January 13, 2021 and has a much shorter record to draw on.
| Profile Item | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Affirm Holdings, Inc. | CME Group Inc. Class A Common Stock |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Financials | Financials |
| GICS Industry Group | Financial Services | Financial Services |
| GICS Industry | Financial Services | Capital Markets |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Transaction & Payment Processing Services | Financial Exchanges & Data |
| Market Capitalization | 23.09 billion USD | 109.49 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | Nasdaq | Nasdaq |
| Listing Date | January 13, 2021 | December 6, 2002 |
| Security Type | Common Stock | Common Stock |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | -6.89% | 14.24% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 40.23% | 16.88% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -15.36% | 11.09% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
Affirm (AFRM) has a highly aggressive beta of 3.70, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while CME (CME) is defensive at 0.16 and tends to be less market-sensitive — a wide gap in beta profiles.
| Metric | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 58.20% | 24.87% |
| Beta (5Y) | 3.70 | 0.16 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -94.35% | -31.74% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 4.46M | 1.91M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -0.19 | 0.40 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -0.28 | 0.56 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) at 44.49% sits in the top ROE quartile, while CME (CME) at 16.13% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AFRM.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
44.49%
- Max
- 44.78%
- AFRM
- 44.49%
- Q3
- 21.85%
- Median
- 12.91%
- Q1
- 4.48%
- Min
- -18.71%
CME
Financial Services industry group
16.13%
- Max
- 44.78%
- Q3
- 21.85%
- CME
- 16.13%
- Median
- 12.91%
- Q1
- 4.48%
- Min
- -18.71%
Net Margin (TTM)
CME (CME) at 63.48% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and Affirm (AFRM) at 43.86% also retains a top-quartile share.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
43.86%
- Max
- 62.84%
- AFRM
- 43.86%
- Q3
- 28.05%
- Median
- 15.36%
- Q1
- 4.82%
- Min
- -28.52%
CME
Financial Services industry group
63.48%
- CME
- 63.48%
- Max
- 62.84%
- Q3
- 28.05%
- Median
- 15.36%
- Q1
- 4.82%
- Min
- -28.52%
Operating Margin (TTM)
CME (CME) at 65.85% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Affirm (AFRM) at 14.82%, which runs around its industry’s norm.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
14.82%
- Max
- 107.33%
- Q3
- 55.90%
- Median
- 30.09%
- AFRM
- 14.82%
- Q1
- 14.60%
- Min
- -44.34%
CME
Financial Services industry group
65.85%
- Max
- 107.33%
- CME
- 65.85%
- Q3
- 55.90%
- Median
- 30.09%
- Q1
- 14.60%
- Min
- -44.34%
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | 44.49% | 16.13% |
| ROA (TTM) | 2.42% | 1.52% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | 43.86% | 63.48% |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | 14.82% | 65.85% |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
Growth
Revenue Growth
Affirm (AFRM) at 32.15% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while CME (CME) at 6.37% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for AFRM.
EPS Growth
Affirm (AFRM) at 3,586.67% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than CME (CME) at 15.41%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | 32.15% | 6.37% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | 38.96% | 9.11% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | 3,586.67% | 15.41% |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | 14.68% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
current ratio doesn’t apply on either side: Affirm (AFRM) in Financial Services and CME (CME) in Financial Services both report balance sheets without a current/non-current split, so their short-term liquidity is better judged through regulatory and funding measures.
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
debt-to-equity ratio is set aside for both: Affirm (AFRM) in Financial Services and CME (CME) in Financial Services run businesses where balance-sheet leverage is part of the model, so capital-adequacy and funding measures are the better gauges of balance-sheet risk.
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | -- | -- |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | -- | -- |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile CME (CME) reports a yield of 1.68%, ranking against industry peers normally.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 9.77%
- Q3
- 3.92%
- Median
- 1.09%
- AFRM
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
CME
Financial Services industry group
1.68%
- Max
- 9.77%
- Q3
- 3.92%
- CME
- 1.68%
- Median
- 1.09%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile CME (CME) reports a payout of 92.62%, ranking against industry peers normally.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
0.00%
- Max
- 241.07%
- Q3
- 97.36%
- Median
- 25.77%
- AFRM
- 0.00%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
CME
Financial Services industry group
92.62%
- Max
- 241.07%
- Q3
- 97.36%
- CME
- 92.62%
- Median
- 25.77%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.00% | 1.68% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 0.00% | 92.62% |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
Affirm (AFRM) at 11.80 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while CME (CME) at 25.07 sits in the richer quartile — CME needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
11.80
- Max
- 45.85
- Q3
- 24.64
- Median
- 15.37
- AFRM
- 11.80
- Q1
- 9.68
- Min
- 0.16
CME
Financial Services industry group
25.07
- Max
- 45.85
- CME
- 25.07
- Q3
- 24.64
- Median
- 15.37
- Q1
- 9.68
- Min
- 0.16
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Both look expensive on sales: Affirm (AFRM) at 5.03 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and CME (CME) at 15.74 prices even higher, above its industry range.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
5.03
- Max
- 9.23
- AFRM
- 5.03
- Q3
- 4.57
- Median
- 2.72
- Q1
- 1.28
- Min
- -0.55
CME
Financial Services industry group
15.74
- CME
- 15.74
- Max
- 9.23
- Q3
- 4.57
- Median
- 2.72
- Q1
- 1.28
- Min
- -0.55
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Both Affirm (AFRM) at 4.01 and CME (CME) at 4.12 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.
AFRM
Financial Services industry group
4.01
- Max
- 7.79
- AFRM
- 4.01
- Q3
- 3.63
- Median
- 1.57
- Q1
- 0.81
- Min
- -0.39
CME
Financial Services industry group
4.12
- Max
- 7.79
- CME
- 4.12
- Q3
- 3.63
- Median
- 1.57
- Q1
- 0.81
- Min
- -0.39
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | AFRM | CME |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | 11.80 | 25.07 |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 5.03 | 15.74 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | 4.01 | 4.12 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | -- | -- |