Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. Has $17.74 Million Stock Holdings in CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)

Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd. reduced its position in shares of CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) by 10.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 76,378 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 9,157 shares during the period. CME Group accounts for approximately 4.6% of Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Wilson Asset Management International PTY Ltd.’s holdings in CME Group were worth $17,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of CME. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in CME Group by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 24,125 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,323,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in CME Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,510,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in CME Group by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,505,000 after purchasing an additional 725 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its holdings in CME Group by 106.1% in the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 3,384 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $747,000 after purchasing an additional 1,742 shares during the period. Finally, OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd bought a new position in shares of CME Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $337,000. 87.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at CME Group

In other news, insider Julie Winkler sold 11,592 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.17, for a total transaction of $2,888,378.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 21,885 shares in the company, valued at $5,453,085.45. The trade was a 34.63 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Suzanne Sprague sold 1,500 shares of CME Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.83, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 8,036 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,063,885.88. This represents a 15.73 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 17,076 shares of company stock worth $4,271,496. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $256.00 to $257.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Raymond James raised shares of CME Group from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $287.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $209.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup downgraded shares of CME Group from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $250.00 in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of CME Group from $258.00 to $269.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $238.93.

CME Group Trading Down 0.7 %

CME opened at $260.43 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.85 billion, a PE ratio of 26.93, a PEG ratio of 6.76 and a beta of 0.53. CME Group Inc. has a 1-year low of $190.70 and a 1-year high of $263.65. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $241.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $231.60.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $2.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.06. CME Group had a net margin of 57.52% and a return on equity of 13.62%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CME Group Inc. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CME Group declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Thursday, December 5th that permits the company to buyback $3.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 3.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 7th. This is a boost from CME Group’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. CME Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.71%.

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.