Nasdaq (NDAQ) News Today

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) shares are trading higher after a string of upbeat Q2 results, broad-based analyst upgrades and bullish options flow. Investors are also digesting recent dividend declarations and management’s commentary on AI, while noting an insider sale and modest short-interest activity.

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 revenue jumped 13%, with GAAP results of $1.31 billion topping estimates and non-GAAP EPS of $0.85 beating forecasts of $0.81. Nasdaq Q2 Revenue Jumps 13 Percent
• Positive Sentiment: The stock hit a new 52-week high after the earnings beat. Nasdaq Sets New 12-Month High After Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: “Smart money” traders are ramping up bullish option bets on NDAQ. Smart Money Is Betting Big In NDAQ Options
• Positive Sentiment: Nineteen brokerages now rate NDAQ a “moderate buy” on average. Consensus “Moderate Buy” Rating
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lifted its price target to $108 (“outperform”), seeing ~14% upside. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its target to $109 with an “overweight” rating (~15% upside). Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted its target to $104 (“outperform,” ~10% upside). Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded NDAQ to “buy” with a $115 target (21% upside). Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price objective to $105 with a “buy” rating (~11% upside). Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: The board declared a $0.27 quarterly dividend, payable Sept. 26 to holders of record Sept. 12. Quarterly Dividend Announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Adena Friedman highlighted AI integration as a key growth area in a Fox Business interview. AI Opportunity Interview
• Neutral Sentiment: Mid-July short interest dipped slightly to 13.79 billion shares versus 14.14 billion at June-end (~2.4 days to cover). Short Interest Update
• Negative Sentiment: Representative Jefferson Shreve sold $15K–$50K in NDAQ shares in mid-May. Insider Sale