Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Given Average Rating of "Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Seventeen analysts give Nasdaq an average recommendation of Buy (15 Buy, 1 Strong Buy, 1 Hold) with a 12‑month average price target of $103.80, and several firms recently raised targets (UBS $120, Barclays $115).
• Nasdaq beat quarterly expectations with $0.96 EPS vs. $0.92 and revenue of $2.12 billion (up 13.4% year‑over‑year), and analysts forecast ~$3.18 EPS for the current year.
• Insider activity is notable: CEO Adena T. Friedman sold 300,000 shares (~$29.07M) on Feb. 2, and insiders sold 697,340 shares (~$66.8M) in the last 90 days, while insiders own about 0.70% of the stock.

Shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Buy" from the seventeen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $103.80.

Several equities research analysts have commented on NDAQ shares. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $114.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen raised shares of Nasdaq from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $105.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $120.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Monday, January 12th.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NDAQ opened at $83.52 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Nasdaq has a 1 year low of $64.84 and a 1 year high of $101.79.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.04. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 21.77%.The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.76 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Nasdaq will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 16th. Nasdaq's payout ratio is presently 34.95%.

Insider Activity

In other Nasdaq news, CEO Adena T. Friedman sold 300,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.91, for a total value of $29,073,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,924,903 shares in the company, valued at $186,542,349.73. This trade represents a 13.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP John Zecca sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.01, for a total value of $450,045.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,674 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,568,656.74. This represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 697,340 shares of company stock valued at $66,803,072. 0.70% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Nasdaq

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 2.3% in the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,935 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Nasdaq by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,529 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $149,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period. ORG Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Nasdaq by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. ORG Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,746 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $170,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its stake in Nasdaq by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 4,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Orgel Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Nasdaq by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Orgel Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,623 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Nasdaq

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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