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

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.88.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NDAQ. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Argus upped their target price on Nasdaq from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, November 25th. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Nasdaq from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,532,778.56. This represents a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nasdaq

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NDAQ. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 106.6% during the fourth quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nasdaq Price Performance

NDAQ stock opened at $82.78 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $79.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $76.98. The firm has a market cap of $47.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.11, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.99. 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 has a 1 year low of $55.51 and a 1 year high of $84.15.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Nasdaq will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

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

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.