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

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lessened its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 52.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 421,709 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 455,971 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd owned about 0.12% of CME Group worth $111,875,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 122.2% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in CME Group by 612.5% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in CME Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in CME Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

CME Group Price Performance

CME stock traded down $3.12 during trading on Friday, hitting $274.70. 2,197,249 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,183,774. CME Group Inc. has a 52 week low of $193.25 and a 52 week high of $290.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $275.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $260.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.64, a P/E/G ratio of 4.81 and a beta of 0.44.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.61 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $1.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.71% and a return on equity of 14.03%. The business's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.50 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Investors of record on Monday, June 9th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 9th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. CME Group's payout ratio is 50.30%.

Insider Activity at CME Group

In other news, Director Phyllis M. Lockett sold 1,060 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $277.88, for a total value of $294,552.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $863,651.04. The trade was a 25.43% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Shepard purchased 256 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $270.53 per share, with a total value of $69,255.68. Following the acquisition, the director owned 258,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,849,763.88. This represents a 0.10% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,400 shares of company stock worth $3,680,610 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $283.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $290.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $301.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of CME Group from $223.00 to $211.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $261.80.

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.