William Blair Has Optimistic Outlook of Nasdaq Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• William Blair has increased its Q1 2026 earnings estimate for Nasdaq to $0.87 per share, up from a previous estimate of $0.85.
• Nasdaq reported strong Q3 earnings of $0.88 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.82, alongside a revenue of $1.32 billion.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.27 per share, scheduled for payment on December 19, representing an annualized yield of 1.2%.

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) - William Blair lifted their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Nasdaq in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, October 21st. William Blair analyst J. Schmitt now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings of $0.87 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.85. The consensus estimate for Nasdaq's current full-year earnings is $3.18 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Nasdaq's FY2026 earnings at $3.71 EPS.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.29 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 19.90% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.74 earnings per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on NDAQ. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $94.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $97.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective (up previously from $96.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nasdaq presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $98.56.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Shares of NDAQ opened at $88.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $50.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.72, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $91.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $86.80. Nasdaq has a 12-month low of $64.84 and a 12-month high of $97.63.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Nasdaq's payout ratio is presently 41.54%.

Insider Transactions at Nasdaq

In related news, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 2,105 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.49, for a total value of $201,006.45. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 92,551 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,837,694.99. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nasdaq

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NDAQ. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Nasdaq by 18.0% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 37,864 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,872,000 after purchasing an additional 5,789 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Nasdaq by 1,195.0% in the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 47,307 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $3,589,000 after purchasing an additional 43,654 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Nasdaq by 7.8% during the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 182,851 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $13,871,000 after buying an additional 13,182 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Nasdaq by 71.8% during the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 8,389 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $636,000 after buying an additional 3,506 shares during the period. Finally, Strategic Investment Advisors MI grew its stake in Nasdaq by 7.7% during the first quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 3,952 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $300,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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