Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Hits New 52-Week High - What's Next?

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $90.67 and last traded at $90.51, with a volume of 167387 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $90.07.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NDAQ has been the subject of a number of research reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on Nasdaq from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Nasdaq from $84.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer set a $96.00 target price on Nasdaq and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $90.69.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $52.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.24, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $84.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.58.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 15.38% and a net margin of 16.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from Nasdaq's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. Nasdaq's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.09%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 2,105 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.17, for a total value of $187,702.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 94,656 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,440,475.52. This represents a 2.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 11,508 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 111,035 shares in the company, valued at $9,867,680.45. This trade represents a 9.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 21,613 shares of company stock worth $1,874,659. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nasdaq

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Grove Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 194.6% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 72.7% during the 2nd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 285 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 1,509.5% during the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 338 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.47% of the company's stock.

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.