Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. Decreases Stake in CME Group Inc. $CME

Key Points

• Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. reduced its stake in CME Group Inc. by 12.2%, now holding 50,116 shares valued at approximately $13.8 million.
• Insider activity was noted, with General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus selling 392 shares and Director William R. Shepard buying 262 shares, reflecting mixed sentiment among the company's leadership.
• CME Group recently declared a $1.25 quarterly dividend, translating to an annual yield of 1.8%, with institutional investors currently owning about 87.75% of the company's stock.

Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. reduced its position in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 12.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 50,116 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 6,985 shares during the period. CME Group makes up about 3.4% of Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.'s holdings in CME Group were worth $13,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Webster Bank N. A. lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 206.9% during the second quarter. Webster Bank N. A. now owns 89 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 84.3% during the second quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 94 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 122.2% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 100 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 59.2% during the second quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.75% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other CME Group news, General Counsel Jonathan L. Marcus sold 392 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.00, for a total value of $102,704.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel owned 7,851 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,056,962. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director William R. Shepard purchased 262 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $265.19 per share, for a total transaction of $69,479.78. Following the transaction, the director owned 258,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at $68,540,742.21. The trade was a 0.10% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,043 shares of company stock worth $3,527,956. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CME Group Price Performance

NASDAQ CME opened at $271.28 on Tuesday. CME Group Inc. has a 12 month low of $213.94 and a 12 month high of $290.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.76 billion, a PE ratio of 26.26, a P/E/G ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 0.41. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $268.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $271.35.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $2.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.91 by $0.05. CME Group had a net margin of 58.48% and a return on equity of 14.60%. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.56 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CME Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 9th were given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. CME Group's payout ratio is 48.40%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on CME. Wall Street Zen cut shares of CME Group from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 13th. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $281.00 to $288.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CME Group from $246.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of CME Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of CME Group from $298.00 to $280.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $283.43.

CME Group Company 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.

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