Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ Shares Sold by Liontrust Investment Partners LLP

Key Points

• Liontrust Investment Partners LLP reduced its Nasdaq stake by 8.5%, selling 120,561 shares and retaining 1.30 million shares worth approximately $110.1 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 72.47% of Nasdaq.
• Nasdaq reported quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share, beating estimates of $0.98, while revenue rose 14.9% year over year to $2.53 billion. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, equivalent to a 1.3% yield.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $109.73, above the reported share price of $95.16; recent targets range from $105 to $113.

Liontrust Investment Partners LLP trimmed its stake in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) by 8.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,297,206 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 120,561 shares during the quarter. Nasdaq makes up about 1.6% of Liontrust Investment Partners LLP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP owned about 0.23% of Nasdaq worth $110,120,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in shares of Nasdaq by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,855,235 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $277,329,000 after acquiring an additional 45,783 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Nasdaq by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 61,076 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $5,933,000 after purchasing an additional 13,160 shares during the last quarter. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth about $1,245,000. MKP Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth about $33,996,000. Finally, Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new position in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,872,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.47% of the company's stock.

Nasdaq Price Performance

NDAQ stock opened at $95.16 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.55 and a 12 month high of $101.79. The firm has a market cap of $53.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.99. The company's 50-day moving average price is $87.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.32.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.46 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 22.60% and a return on equity of 18.38%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Nasdaq's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Monday, July 20th. Loop Capital set a $113.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $111.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, July 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $110.00 price objective on Nasdaq in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $105.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $109.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In other news, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 11,010 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.96, for a total transaction of $1,034,499.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 216,011 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $20,296,393.56. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Ab Investor acquired 56,782 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $85.98 per share, with a total value of $4,882,116.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 58,439,208 shares in the company, valued at $5,024,603,103.84. The trade was a 0.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 30,787 shares of company stock valued at $2,865,505. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Nasdaq Company 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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