Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for Nasdaq Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has lowered its Q1 2026 earnings per share estimate for Nasdaq to $0.88, down from $0.89, while the full-year earnings consensus remains at $3.18 per share.
• Despite Zacks' negative outlook, multiple analysts have recently upgraded Nasdaq's ratings, with UBS lifting its price target from $95.00 to $115.00.
• Nasdaq's recent quarterly earnings report showed $0.85 EPS, exceeding expectations and reflecting a year-over-year revenue growth of 12.7%.

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Nasdaq in a research note issued to investors on Monday, October 13th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings per share of $0.88 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.89. The consensus estimate for Nasdaq's current full-year earnings is $3.18 per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upgraded Nasdaq from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $115.00 in a report on Friday, July 25th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on Nasdaq from $103.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, July 25th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Nasdaq from $97.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $108.00 target price (down previously from $109.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.50.

Nasdaq Price Performance

NDAQ stock opened at $89.54 on Wednesday. Nasdaq has a 52-week low of $64.84 and a 52-week high of $97.63. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $92.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.98.

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

Institutional Trading of Nasdaq

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 142.2% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 11,087 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $841,000 after purchasing an additional 6,510 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 18.0% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 37,864 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,872,000 after purchasing an additional 5,789 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 84.4% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,254 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 574 shares during the period. Finally, Mission Wealth Management LP boosted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 3.6% during the first quarter. Mission Wealth Management LP now owns 15,778 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,197,000 after buying an additional 550 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Nasdaq

In related news, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 2,105 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $8,837,694.99. The trade was a 2.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Michelle Lynn Daly sold 8,691 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.45, for a total value of $812,173.95. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 8,879 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $829,742.55. This represents a 49.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. Nasdaq's payout ratio is currently 41.54%.

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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