CME Group Inc (NASDAQ:CME) has announced it will pay annual variable dividend of $2.90 per share, giving a total of approximately $977 million.
The dividend is payable January 12, 2016, to shareholders of record on December 28, 2015.
CME Group adopted its annual variable dividend structure in February 2012 and paid its first annual variable dividend in March 2012. The intention of this policy is to determine the excess cash available at the end of each year, with the level to increase or decrease from year to year in accordance with operating results, potential investment activity and other forms of capital return.
Including the variable dividend just announced and the previously announced regular dividend of $0.50 per share to be paid in December, the company will have paid a total of more than $5.6 billion in quarterly and variable dividends since the start of 2012.
The announcement about the dividend comes after CME reported a set of robust financial metrics for the third quarter of 2015. In the three months to September 30, 2015, the net income attributable to CME Group amounted to $359.9 million, up 24.1% from the corresponding period a year earlier. Total revenues during the third quarter of 2015 were $850.3 million, up 11.5% from a year earlier.
To view the full announcement from CME Group regarding the annual dividend, click here.