Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Makes New $1.79 Million Investment in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has acquired 23,536 shares of Nasdaq, Inc., worth approximately $1,785,000, during the 1st quarter.
• Several institutional investors have significantly increased their positions in Nasdaq, with 72.47% of the stock now owned by such investors and hedge funds.
• Analysts have recently raised their target prices for Nasdaq, with Bank of America and Deutsche Bank both setting targets at $105.00, rating the stock as a "buy."

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 23,536 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,785,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 7.7% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 43,161 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,274,000 after buying an additional 3,096 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas increased its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 61.1% during the first quarter. USA Financial Formulas now owns 17,842 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,353,000 after buying an additional 6,764 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 1.2% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,268,620 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $172,098,000 after buying an additional 27,622 shares in the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth $48,749,000. Finally, FUKOKU MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE Co acquired a new stake in Nasdaq in the first quarter valued at $222,000. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NDAQ shares. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective (up from $96.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $96.00 price objective (up from $84.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $96.63.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 11,508 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.87, for a total value of $1,022,715.96. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 111,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,867,680.45. This represents a 9.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.03, for a total transaction of $664,240.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 211,405 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,552,957.15. This trade represents a 3.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 30,304 shares of company stock worth $2,686,833. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Nasdaq Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NDAQ stock traded down $1.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $95.17. The stock had a trading volume of 2,845,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,421,172. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.33 and a 52-week high of $97.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $88.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.61 billion, a PE ratio of 36.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.00.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.26 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 18.59% and a return on equity of 15.90%. Nasdaq's quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Nasdaq's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.54%.

Nasdaq Profile

Nasdaq, Inc operates as a technology company that serves capital markets and other industries worldwide. It operates in three segments: Capital Access Platforms, Financial Technology, and Market Services. The Capital Access Platforms segment sells and distributes historical and real-time market data; and develops and licenses Nasdaq-branded indices and financial products.