Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a bullish view: Eleven firms collectively rate Nasdaq “Buy,” including eight buy and two strong-buy ratings, with an average 12-month price target of $110.30 versus the reported $94.69 share price.
• Nasdaq exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.07 in EPS versus a $0.98 consensus estimate and $2.53 billion in revenue, up 14.9% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, equivalent to a $1.24 annualized payout and a 1.3% yield; institutional investors own 72.47% of the outstanding shares.

Shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the eleven research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $110.30.

A number of research firms have issued reports on NDAQ. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $120.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Nasdaq from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $113.00 price target (up from $111.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $111.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday, July 24th.

Nasdaq Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:NDAQ opened at $94.69 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $52.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business's 50-day moving average is $94.70 and its 200-day moving average is $89.70. Nasdaq has a 1 year low of $76.55 and a 1 year high of $101.79.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.46 billion. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 18.38% and a net margin of 22.60%.The firm's revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Nasdaq will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Nasdaq's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.15%.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In other Nasdaq news, EVP Bradley Peterson sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.61, for a total value of $1,203,930.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 128,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,881,214.73. This represents a 9.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 1,125 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.22, for a total value of $105,997.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 101,198 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,534,875.56. This trade represents a 1.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 42,922 shares of company stock valued at $4,032,316 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Nasdaq

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NDAQ. Fiduciary Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Nasdaq during the second quarter worth $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Nasdaq in the 2nd quarter valued at about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.47% of the company's stock.

Nasdaq Company Profile

Nasdaq, Inc NASDAQ: NDAQ operates financial markets and provides technology, data and analytics services to exchanges, brokers, institutional investors, corporations and other financial institutions. The company is best known for operating the Nasdaq Stock Market, a major U.S. equities exchange and a prominent venue for technology and growth companies.

Nasdaq's businesses include listings, trading, market data, indexes, clearing and market infrastructure solutions. Through its technology platforms, the company provides exchange operators and financial institutions with systems for trading, surveillance, risk management, regulatory compliance and other market functions.

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