Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Sets New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Nasdaq shares hit a new 52-week high, trading at $97.51 with a trading volume of 221,044 shares, up from a previous close of $96.85.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Nasdaq, with fourteen analysts giving it a buy rating and an average price target of $97.06.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27, payable on September 26th, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.1%.

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $97.55 and last traded at $97.51, with a volume of 221044 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $96.85.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Nasdaq from $75.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. UBS Group upgraded Nasdaq from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.06.

Nasdaq Trading Up 0.6%

The company's 50-day moving average is $89.67 and its 200-day moving average is $81.88. The firm has a market cap of $55.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 18.59% and a return on equity of 15.90%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Nasdaq's dividend payout ratio is currently 41.54%.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In related news, SVP Michelle Lynn Daly sold 8,691 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.45, for a total transaction of $812,173.95. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,879 shares in the company, valued at $829,742.55. This represents a 49.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 11,508 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.87, for a total transaction of $1,022,715.96. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 111,035 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,867,680.45. This trade represents a 9.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 32,409 shares of company stock worth $2,887,839. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NDAQ. Advisory Services Network LLC grew its position in Nasdaq by 55.7% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 6,494 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $502,000 after buying an additional 2,324 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its stake in Nasdaq by 160.3% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 410,146 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $31,697,000 after purchasing an additional 252,596 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its stake in Nasdaq by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 11,038 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares in the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nasdaq in the fourth quarter valued at $251,000. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 26.0% in the fourth quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 3,766 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $291,000 after acquiring an additional 776 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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