Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ Position Trimmed by Savant Capital LLC

Key Points

• Savant Capital LLC sharply reduced its stake in Nasdaq, trimming holdings by 82.2% in the fourth quarter and leaving it with 5,586 shares valued at about $543,000.
• Nasdaq reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.96 versus the $0.93 estimate and revenue of $2.14 billion, up 13.7% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share from $0.27, implying a $1.24 annualized dividend and a 1.4% yield.

Savant Capital LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) by 82.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 25,741 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC's holdings in Nasdaq were worth $543,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Nasdaq by 100.0% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 318 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new stake in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Community Bank N.A. bought a new stake in Nasdaq during the third quarter worth approximately $45,000. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In other Nasdaq news, insider Cohen Tal sold 15,518 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.75, for a total value of $1,408,258.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 215,208 shares in the company, valued at $19,530,126. This represents a 6.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 7,710 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total transaction of $700,222.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 141,035 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,808,798.70. The trade was a 5.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 138,162 shares of company stock worth $11,932,913 in the last quarter. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Nasdaq Trading Up 1.9%

Nasdaq stock opened at $88.45 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $88.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.08. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52 week low of $77.09 and a 52 week high of $101.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.97.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. Nasdaq had a net margin of 23.15% and a return on equity of 17.51%. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS. The company's revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Nasdaq Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This is a positive change from Nasdaq's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Nasdaq's payout ratio is currently 32.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NDAQ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Loop Capital set a $113.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $109.00 price objective on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. TD Cowen raised shares of Nasdaq from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $106.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nasdaq from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $107.15.

Nasdaq Profile

Nasdaq, Inc is a global financial technology company that operates one of the world's leading electronic securities exchanges and provides a broad array of products and services to capital markets participants. Its core activities include operating the Nasdaq Stock Market and other trading venues, developing and supplying market technology and matching engines to exchanges and trading firms, licensing market data and indices, and offering clearing, trade execution and post-trade solutions. The company also provides market surveillance, risk management and regulatory technology used by exchanges and regulators.

Founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) as the first electronic stock market, Nasdaq has evolved into a diversified marketplace and technology provider.

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