Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Wednesday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on NDAQ. Raymond James raised shares of Nasdaq from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Nasdaq from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. William Blair initiated coverage on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Nasdaq from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Nasdaq from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $80.87.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Shares of NDAQ opened at $82.99 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $76.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $68.81. Nasdaq has a 1 year low of $53.62 and a 1 year high of $83.77. The firm has a market cap of $47.70 billion, a PE ratio of 49.69, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.05. Nasdaq had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 14.56%. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. Nasdaq’s revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Nasdaq will post 2.79 EPS for the current year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.16%. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.49%.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In related news, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.71, for a total value of $454,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 215,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,320,274.73. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 13,642 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.32, for a total value of $1,027,515.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 142,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,757,955.60. This represents a 8.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 49,459 shares of company stock worth $3,811,808. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nasdaq

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 94.8% in the second quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 415 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the second quarter worth $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in Nasdaq by 164.4% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 505 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. 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.