Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised Nasdaq’s price target from $118 to $132 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying approximately 28% upside from the reported share price. The broader analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $112.88.
• Nasdaq shares traded near $103, close to their 52-week high, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $1.04 versus the $1.02 consensus estimate. Revenue increased 12.6% year over year, and analysts expect full-year EPS of approximately $4.13.
• Institutional investors own approximately 72.5% of Nasdaq’s shares, while insiders sold $2.5 million worth of stock over the past 90 days. The company maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.31 per share.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $118.00 to $132.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the financial services provider's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target points to a potential upside of 28.05% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on NDAQ. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen dropped their price target on Nasdaq from $108.00 to $107.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $103.00 to $111.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $108.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on Nasdaq from $119.00 to $109.00 in a research report on Friday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nasdaq has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $112.88.

Nasdaq Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NDAQ traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $103.08. The stock had a trading volume of 1,807,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,777,246. Nasdaq has a fifty-two week low of $76.55 and a fifty-two week high of $104.21. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $90.97. The firm has a market cap of $57.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a net margin of 22.60% and a return on equity of 18.38%. The business had revenue of $2.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Nasdaq will post 4.13 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Nasdaq

In other news, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 1,125 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total transaction of $106,875.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 96,561 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,173,295. This represents a 1.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nelson Griggs sold 11,010 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.35, for a total value of $1,060,813.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 205,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,751,846.35. The trade was a 5.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 26,520 shares of company stock valued at $2,520,957 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nasdaq

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Daiichi Life Insurance Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the second quarter valued at about $1,236,000. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich lifted its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 3.0% in the second quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich now owns 889,447 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $70,106,000 after buying an additional 25,524 shares during the period. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd grew its position in Nasdaq by 31.4% during the first quarter. Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd now owns 47,298 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,015,000 after buying an additional 11,298 shares in the last quarter. Tandem Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Nasdaq during the first quarter worth about $13,891,000. Finally, NINE MASTS CAPITAL Ltd increased its stake in Nasdaq by 106.5% during the second quarter. NINE MASTS CAPITAL Ltd now owns 27,130 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,138,000 after acquiring an additional 13,992 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.47% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Nasdaq

Here are the key news stories impacting Nasdaq this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat expectations: Nasdaq reported adjusted EPS of $1.04, above the $1.02 consensus estimate and up from $0.88 a year earlier. Net revenue rose 13% year over year to approximately $1.5 billion, helping trigger a strong post-earnings reaction. Nasdaq Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Recurring revenue and key growth businesses remained strong: Annualized recurring revenue reached a record $3.4 billion, solutions revenue grew 17% to roughly $1.2 billion, and index revenue increased 39%. The results suggest continued momentum in Nasdaq’s higher-margin technology, fintech and index operations. NDAQ Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their outlooks: JPMorgan increased its price target from $120 to $122 while maintaining an Overweight rating. Wells Fargo raised its target from $100 to $111, although it retained an Equal Weight rating. RBC Capital Markets also issued a Buy rating. JPMorgan Analyst Recommendation
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity signaled bullish interest: Traders purchased 7,716 call options, approximately 320% above the average call volume. While options activity does not guarantee future performance, it indicates increased speculative interest in further gains.
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: Nasdaq maintained its $0.31-per-share quarterly dividend, payable December 18 to shareholders of record December 4. The dividend supports shareholder returns but was not reported as an increase. Nasdaq Dividend Announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling remains a minor risk signal: EVP Jeremy Skule sold 1,125 shares for approximately $106,875, reducing his ownership by 1.15%. The sale is small relative to his remaining stake, limiting its significance compared with the earnings momentum. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

About Nasdaq

Nasdaq, Inc is a global financial technology and market infrastructure company best known for operating the Nasdaq Stock Market, one of the world's largest electronic stock exchanges. The company provides listing services for public companies and operates trading venues for equities, options and other financial products. Its exchange business serves companies, investors and market participants in the United States, as well as through Nasdaq's Nordic and Baltic market operations.

Beyond its exchange activities, Nasdaq provides market data, analytics, indexes and technology used by exchanges, brokers, banks, asset managers and other financial institutions.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.