Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Moderate Buy consensus from 15 analysts (12 buys, 2 holds, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year target of about $107.15, signaling a generally positive sell‑side view on NDAQ.
• Nasdaq posted a Q1 beat (EPS $0.96 vs. $0.93 expected) with double‑digit net revenue growth and raised the quarterly dividend to $0.31 (≈14.8% increase), supporting income and growth narratives tied to AI/cloud momentum.
• Insider selling is notable: CEO Adena T. Friedman sold 300,000 shares and insiders have sold 506,451 shares in the past 90 days, a factor that could cap near‑term upside despite the positive results.

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

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on NDAQ shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Nasdaq from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $116.00 price objective on Nasdaq and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Loop Capital set a $113.00 price objective on Nasdaq in a research report on Friday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $109.00 price objective on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Nasdaq from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday.

Nasdaq News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Nasdaq this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Nasdaq reported EPS of $0.96 vs. $0.93 expected and stronger-than-expected revenue (double-digit net revenue growth across divisions). This is the primary positive catalyst supporting the stock’s rise. Nasdaq Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike — the board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.31 (≈14.8% increase), indicating cash return commitment and supporting income-oriented investor interest. Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Business mix and growth drivers — management highlighted AI and cloud-driven growth in Solutions and FinTech segments, providing conviction that revenue acceleration is sustainable beyond the quarter. AI & Cloud Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst action — Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised its price target to $97 (market perform), a modest supportive signal from the sell-side that implies upside from current levels. KBW Target Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Mid-month short-interest data — Nasdaq published mid-April short interest across Nasdaq Global Market securities; overall days-to-cover ticked slightly lower to ~2.71 days. This is market-structure data rather than a direct stock-specific catalyst for NDAQ. Mid-Month Short Interest
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst landscape is mixed but skewed positive — several firms maintain overweight/positive views and the median 6‑month target remains above the current price, which supports medium-term upside but isn’t an immediate catalyst. Analyst Targets & Ratings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — disclosure shows significant insider sales in the past six months (including a large sale by CEO Adena Friedman), which can be perceived negatively by some investors even if sales have benign explanations. This could cap some near-term upside. Insider Activity
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed institutional moves — large reallocations (e.g., UBS materially cut its position while others added) increase volatility risk; big fund flows can amplify moves if followed by further rebalancing. Institutional Activity

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In other news, CEO Adena T. Friedman sold 300,000 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.91, for a total transaction of $29,073,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,924,903 shares of the company's stock, valued at $186,542,349.73. The trade was a 13.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 506,451 shares of company stock worth $47,142,951. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NDAQ. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Nasdaq by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 14,574 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in Nasdaq by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 34,962 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,652,000 after purchasing an additional 10,110 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in Nasdaq by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,351 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 2,584 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Nasdaq by 345.5% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 597 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Nasdaq by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 11,386 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,018,000 after purchasing an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nasdaq Stock Up 3.3%

NDAQ stock opened at $89.90 on Friday. Nasdaq has a twelve month low of $74.11 and a twelve month high of $101.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $51.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.08, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.02. The business's 50-day moving average price is $85.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.61.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 17.51% and a net margin of 23.15%.The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Nasdaq will post 3.82 EPS for the current year.

Nasdaq Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 12th. This is an increase from Nasdaq's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Nasdaq's payout ratio is presently 34.95%.

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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