AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Trims Position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd cut its holdings in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 917,430 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 305,172 shares during the period. CME Group makes up 1.0% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest position. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned about 0.25% of CME Group worth $202,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in CME Group in the first quarter worth about $28,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in CME Group in the second quarter worth about $36,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its position in CME Group by 62.2% in the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 193 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its position in CME Group by 66.1% in the second quarter. McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 196 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC boosted its position in CME Group by 515.2% in the second quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 203 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. 87.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CME Group

In related news, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total transaction of $1,629,381.87. Following the sale, the director now owns 55,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, CFO Lynne Fitzpatrick sold 754 shares of the stock in a transaction on Sunday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $216.99, for a total transaction of $163,610.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 13,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,877,504.39. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Bryan T. Durkin sold 7,593 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.59, for a total value of $1,629,381.87. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 55,607 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,932,706.13. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,221 shares of company stock valued at $3,351,895. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company's stock.

CME Group Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CME traded down $1.90 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $225.36. 1,657,354 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,920,359. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $220.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $209.23. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $230.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.76 and a beta of 0.55.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.65 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 56.98% and a return on equity of 12.82%. The firm's revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.25 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.04 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 9th were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 9th. This represents a $4.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.04%. CME Group's dividend payout ratio is currently 52.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on CME Group from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Barclays raised their price objective on CME Group from $219.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on CME Group from $195.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on CME Group from $210.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CME Group from $187.00 to $191.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $222.73.

CME Group Profile

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.