CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) Shares Sold by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd reduced its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 877,680 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 39,750 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for about 1.0% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned 0.24% of CME Group worth $203,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CME Group by 570.6% during the 4th quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 188.4% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 124 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in CME Group in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in CME Group by 120.3% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 152 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CME Group Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of CME Group stock traded up $2.38 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $247.86. 1,316,699 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,848,600. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $253.53. The stock's fifty day moving average is $236.12 and its 200 day moving average is $226.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market cap of $89.32 billion, a PE ratio of 26.06, a PEG ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.57.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.46 by $0.06. CME Group had a return on equity of 13.39% and a net margin of 57.34%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.18 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, December 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $3.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. This is a positive change from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is 48.37%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In related news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total value of $2,888,378.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 21,885 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,453,085.45. This represents a 34.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on CME Group from $250.00 to $258.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Citigroup cut CME Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $234.13.

About CME Group

CME Group Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates contract markets for the trading of futures and options on futures contracts worldwide. It offers futures and options products based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, agricultural commodities, energy, and metals, as well as fixed income and foreign currency trading services.