Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Price Target Raised to $82.00 at UBS Group

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) had its price target boosted by UBS Group from $76.00 to $82.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider's stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on NDAQ. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Nasdaq from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $74.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America increased their price target on Nasdaq from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com raised Nasdaq from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 18th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Nasdaq from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.18.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Shares of NDAQ stock traded down $0.28 during trading on Friday, reaching $75.66. 672,703 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,793,592. The company has a market capitalization of $43.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.41, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. Nasdaq has a 1 year low of $58.28 and a 1 year high of $84.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The firm's 50-day moving average is $74.79 and its 200 day moving average is $77.50.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.22 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 14.82%. The firm's revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.63 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Nasdaq will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Nasdaq Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This is a boost from Nasdaq's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. Nasdaq's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.09%.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In other news, EVP Sarah Youngwood sold 14,959 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.68, for a total value of $1,102,179.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 59,694 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,398,253.92. This represents a 20.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 657 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.81, for a total value of $47,179.17. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 61,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,450,783.80. The trade was a 1.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,116 shares of company stock valued at $1,434,818. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Nasdaq by 194.6% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Nasdaq by 1,509.5% in the 1st quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 338 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Nasdaq in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Founders Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Institutional investors own 72.47% of the company's stock.

About Nasdaq

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.