Sector Report4 min read
Financials: 16 A-Grades With Five Banks Failing
Payments and exchanges print cash. Big banks bleed it. The split is getting worse.
Apr 3, 2026
CMEVMACOF+12
Financial data as of Dec 31, 2025Improving · Financials
Base grade from FCF margin, adjusted by financial health factors
Key financials compared side by side
Debt, liquidity, and leverage snapshot
Free cash flow per quarter
FCF Margin ranked against sector peers
Payments and exchanges print cash. Big banks bleed it. The split is getting worse.
CME prints $3.6B in free cash flow on $6.1B revenue. The exchange business model works exactly like it should.
Revenue can be manipulated. Earnings get adjusted. But free cash flow margin tells you exactly how much cash a company generates per dollar of sales — and it's why Realty Income scores 67.8% while MicroStrategy bleeds -4,777%.