United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund Sells 60,802 Shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund cut its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME - Free Report) by 45.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,625 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 60,802 shares during the quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund's holdings in CME Group were worth $15,295,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Naples Global Advisors LLC grew its position in CME Group by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Naples Global Advisors LLC now owns 2,072 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $436,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,823,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $1,074,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in CME Group by 4.3% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,118,104 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $223,867,000 after purchasing an additional 46,021 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in CME Group during the fourth quarter worth about $27,986,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CME Group Price Performance

Shares of CME Group stock traded up $1.94 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $208.42. The company had a trading volume of 1,852,802 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,773,274. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13. The company has a market capitalization of $75.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.86 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $214.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $211.63. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $175.73 and a 1-year high of $223.80.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. CME Group had a net margin of 57.83% and a return on equity of 12.32%. CME Group's revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.92 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CME Group Inc. will post 9.56 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $1.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a $4.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. This is a positive change from CME Group's previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. CME Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Rosenblatt Securities restated a "sell" rating and set a $180.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research note on Thursday, January 4th. Argus raised their price target on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated a "market perform" rating and set a $229.00 price target on shares of CME Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $210.00 target price (down previously from $235.00) on shares of CME Group in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of CME Group from $225.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CME Group has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $215.70.

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.