Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Insider Sells $1,408,258.50 in Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: Director Cohen Tal sold 15,518 shares on April 27 at an average price of $90.75 for $1,408,258.50 and now owns 215,208 shares, a 6.73% reduction in his position (SEC filing).
• Earnings and dividend: Nasdaq beat Q expectations with $0.96 EPS versus $0.93 and $2.14B revenue (up 13.7% YoY) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.31 ($1.24 annualized, ~1.4% yield).
• Analyst view and ownership: The stock carries a "Moderate Buy" consensus with an average price target of $107.15, and institutional investors hold roughly 72.47% of shares; market cap is about $51.9B.

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) insider Cohen Tal sold 15,518 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.75, for a total value of $1,408,258.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 215,208 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,530,126. This represents a 6.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Nasdaq stock traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $91.27. The company had a trading volume of 2,482,999 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,161,381. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 12-month low of $74.11 and a 12-month high of $101.79. The company's fifty day moving average is $86.09 and its 200-day moving average is $89.62. The company has a market capitalization of $51.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.02.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 17.51% and a net margin of 23.15%.The business had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Nasdaq Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. This is a boost from Nasdaq's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Nasdaq's payout ratio is currently 37.35%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NDAQ. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Nasdaq by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 318 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. West Branch Capital LLC acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.47% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NDAQ. Morgan Stanley set a $116.00 price objective on Nasdaq and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Nasdaq from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Loop Capital set a $113.00 target price on Nasdaq in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.15.

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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