AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Lowers Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd reduced its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 877,680 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 39,750 shares during the period. CME Group comprises approximately 1.0% of AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in CME Group were worth $203,824,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of CME Group by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 7,810 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,723,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC boosted its position in shares of CME Group by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,769 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its stake in CME Group by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 592 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in CME Group by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,362 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $549,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Affirmative Financial Network raised its position in CME Group by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. First Affirmative Financial Network now owns 2,141 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $497,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the company’s stock.

CME Group Trading Up 0.5 %

CME Group stock opened at $250.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. CME Group Inc. has a 1 year low of $190.70 and a 1 year high of $253.53. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $235.74 and its 200-day moving average is $225.08. The company has a market cap of $90.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a PEG ratio of 5.54 and a beta of 0.57.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that CME Group Inc. will post 10.18 earnings per share for the current year.

CME Group declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, December 5th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to buy up to 3.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

CME Group Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.00%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on CME. Oppenheimer upped their target price on CME Group from $258.00 to $269.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CME Group from $257.00 to $263.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup lowered CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of CME Group from $227.00 to $226.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CME Group currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $234.07.

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.