Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in Nasdaq, Inc. by 7.2% during Q1, bringing its total ownership to 63,511 shares valued at $4.8 million.
• Several institutional investors also boosted their positions, with Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increasing its stake by 7.7% and USA Financial Formulas by 61.1% in the same period.
• Analysts are optimistic, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.06, following multiple upgrades from firms like UBS and Piper Sandler.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 63,511 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,290 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $4,818,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Nasdaq by 56.2% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 14,601 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,129,000 after purchasing an additional 5,254 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the 4th quarter worth $3,276,000. IHT Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,229 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $404,000 after buying an additional 454 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 589,035 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,539,000 after buying an additional 8,951 shares during the period. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the fourth quarter valued at $302,000. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nasdaq Stock Down 0.1%

NASDAQ NDAQ traded down $0.06 on Wednesday, reaching $94.84. The company had a trading volume of 1,958,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,266,761. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.84 and a 1 year high of $97.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.42 billion, a PE ratio of 36.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $91.96 and a 200-day moving average of $82.95.

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

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In other news, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 11,508 shares of the firm'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 transaction of $1,022,715.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 111,035 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,867,680.45. This trade represents a 9.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 2,105 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.49, for a total transaction of $201,006.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 92,551 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,837,694.99. This trade represents a 2.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 24,409 shares of company stock worth $2,223,599 in the last 90 days. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on NDAQ shares. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Nasdaq from $97.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Nasdaq from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $101.00 target price (up previously from $96.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $96.00 price objective (up from $84.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.06.

Nasdaq Company 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.