Aviva PLC Buys 2,359 Shares of MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MKTX)

Aviva PLC increased its holdings in MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MKTX - Free Report) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 23,224 shares of the financial services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,359 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.06% of MarketAxess worth $5,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of MarketAxess by 179.5% during the 4th quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 109 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Allianz SE acquired a new stake in MarketAxess during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of MarketAxess by 495.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in MarketAxess by 13,900.0% in the 4th quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 140 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of MarketAxess by 185.7% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 160 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.01% of the company's stock.

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MarketAxess Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MKTX traded up $2.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $224.79. 159,890 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 484,737. MarketAxess Holdings Inc. has a 12 month low of $186.84 and a 12 month high of $296.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.47 billion, a PE ratio of 30.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 1.12. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $205.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $234.93.

MarketAxess (NASDAQ:MKTX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.03. MarketAxess had a net margin of 33.56% and a return on equity of 20.23%. On average, research analysts anticipate that MarketAxess Holdings Inc. will post 7.79 earnings per share for the current year.

MarketAxess Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a $0.76 dividend. This is an increase from MarketAxess's previous quarterly dividend of $0.74. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. MarketAxess's dividend payout ratio is presently 41.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of MarketAxess from $225.00 to $232.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of MarketAxess from $220.00 to $213.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of MarketAxess from $189.00 to $191.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of MarketAxess from $235.00 to $210.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, William Blair started coverage on MarketAxess in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $252.11.

MarketAxess Company Profile

MarketAxess Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates an electronic trading platform for institutional investor and broker-dealer companies worldwide. The company offers trading technology that provides liquidity access in U.S. high-grade bonds, U.S. high-yield bonds, emerging market debt, eurobonds, municipal bonds, U.S.