Centaurus Financial Inc. Makes New $905,000 Investment in Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ

Centaurus Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 11,480 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $905,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC acquired a new stake in Nasdaq during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new stake in Nasdaq during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac purchased a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.47% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NDAQ opened at $99.31 on Friday. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52-week low of $76.55 and a 52-week high of $101.79. The company has a market capitalization of $55.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $91.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.40. 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 results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 22.60% and a return on equity of 18.38%. The company’s revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 4.15 EPS for the current year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Nasdaq’s payout ratio is 36.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $105.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $113.00 price target (up from $111.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $120.00 price objective on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $111.00 price objective (up from $108.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Nasdaq from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $110.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 11,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.35, for a total transaction of $1,060,813.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 205,001 shares in the company, valued at $19,751,846.35. This trade represents a 5.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.61, for a total transaction of $1,203,930.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 128,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,881,214.73. This represents a 9.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 41,797 shares of company stock valued at $3,926,319 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq 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.