Sciencast Management LP Invests $324,000 in Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ

Key Points

• Sciencast Management LP invested $324,000 in Nasdaq, acquiring 4,268 shares during the first quarter, reflecting increased institutional interest in the company.
• Nasdaq's latest earnings report showed an EPS of $0.85, surpassing estimates and demonstrating a year-over-year revenue growth of 12.7%.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.1%, with the payout set for September 26th.

Sciencast Management LP purchased a new stake in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,268 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $324,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NDAQ. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 15,571 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $1,204,000 after buying an additional 2,481 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 27,221 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,104,000 after buying an additional 2,844 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 93,799 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $7,252,000 after buying an additional 14,540 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 550.6% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 30,761 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,378,000 after buying an additional 26,033 shares during the period. Finally, Interval Partners LP acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter worth $6,060,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.47% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In related news, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 11,508 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 2,105 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.49, for a total transaction of $201,006.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 92,551 shares in the company, 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,409 shares of company stock worth $2,223,599. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NDAQ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased 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. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, July 25th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $101.00 target price (up previously from $96.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.06.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Shares of NDAQ stock traded down $1.93 during trading on Friday, reaching $93.95. 2,947,784 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,243,518. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.91 billion, a PE ratio of 36.13, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.02. Nasdaq, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.84 and a twelve month high of $97.63. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $93.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $84.06.

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

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 41.54%.

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.