Johnson Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ

Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 10,126 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $798,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in Nasdaq by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 14,574 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,106,000 after buying an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 34,962 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,652,000 after buying an additional 10,110 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 22.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 2,584 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 345.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares during the period. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 4.4% in the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 11,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,018,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.47% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In other Nasdaq news, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.61, for a total value of $1,203,930.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 128,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,881,214.73. This trade represents a 9.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 11,010 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.35, for a total value of $1,060,813.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 205,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,751,846.35. The trade was a 5.10% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 41,797 shares of company stock valued at $3,926,319 over the last three months. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Nasdaq Stock Down 0.4%

NDAQ stock opened at $96.35 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $53.86 billion, a PE ratio of 28.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.96. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.55 and a 52 week high of $101.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.09. Nasdaq had a net margin of 22.60% and a return on equity of 18.38%. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 4.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on NDAQ shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $111.00 target price (up from $108.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Loop Capital set a $113.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, April 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $110.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Thursday, June 11th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $105.00 price target (up from $101.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $110.30.

Nasdaq Company Profile

Nasdaq, Inc is a global financial technology company that operates one of the world’s leading electronic securities exchanges and provides a broad array of products and services to capital markets participants. Its core activities include operating the Nasdaq Stock Market and other trading venues, developing and supplying market technology and matching engines to exchanges and trading firms, licensing market data and indices, and offering clearing, trade execution and post-trade solutions. The company also provides market surveillance, risk management and regulatory technology used by exchanges and regulators.

Founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) as the first electronic stock market, Nasdaq has evolved into a diversified marketplace and technology provider.