Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $86.88.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NDAQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Nasdaq from $86.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 13th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Nasdaq from $79.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Nasdaq from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $80.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th.

Nasdaq Price Performance

Shares of NDAQ opened at $82.78 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $79.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.87. The company has a market capitalization of $47.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.99. Nasdaq has a fifty-two week low of $55.51 and a fifty-two week high of $84.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 14.82% and a net margin of 15.10%. Research analysts predict that Nasdaq will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.56, for a total transaction of $285,460.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,576 shares in the company, valued at $4,532,778.56. The trade was a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nasdaq

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NDAQ. Olstein Capital Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 80,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,185,000 after buying an additional 21,000 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 75.7% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 53,933 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,170,000 after purchasing an additional 23,244 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 26.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 44,173 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,454,000 after purchasing an additional 9,130 shares during the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 4th quarter worth $856,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Nasdaq by 49.8% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 164,179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $11,987,000 after purchasing an additional 54,594 shares during the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is 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.