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

Key Points

• Nasdaq, Inc. has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 15 analysts, with 12 buy ratings, 1 strong buy, and 2 holds. The average 1-year price target is about $107.15.
• The company reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.96 versus $0.93 expected and revenue of $2.14 billion versus $1.42 billion forecast. Revenue rose 13.7% year over year, and analysts expect full-year EPS of 3.86.
• Nasdaq increased its quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share from $0.27, implying an annualized payout of $1.24 and a yield of about 1.3%. Meanwhile, insiders have recently sold shares, including executive and senior vice president transactions.

Shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, twelve have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $107.1538.

NDAQ has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $116.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Loop Capital set a $113.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nasdaq from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Michelle Lynn Daly sold 1,323 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $88.82, for a total transaction of $117,508.86. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $896,104.98. This represents a 11.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 7,710 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 5.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 231,002 shares of company stock valued at $20,295,941. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Nasdaq by 100.0% during the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nasdaq Price Performance

NDAQ stock opened at $91.98 on Wednesday. Nasdaq has a one year low of $77.09 and a one year high of $101.79. The company's fifty day moving average price is $87.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.79. 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 company has a market capitalization of $52.02 billion, a PE ratio of 27.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.98.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Nasdaq will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This is a boost from Nasdaq's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Nasdaq's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.35%.

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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