Groupama Asset Managment Increases Stake in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ)

Groupama Asset Managment grew its holdings in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) by 68.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 94,593 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 38,553 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in Nasdaq were worth $7,321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Nasdaq by 24.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 977,949 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $71,400,000 after buying an additional 191,705 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 3.3% during the third quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 157,550 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $11,495,000 after acquiring an additional 5,008 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 181.9% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 66,930 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,887,000 after acquiring an additional 43,184 shares during the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the third quarter valued at approximately $557,000. Finally, Harris Associates L P boosted its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 14.6% in the third quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 8,596,022 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $627,596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,096,090 shares during the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nasdaq Trading Down 7.5 %

NASDAQ NDAQ traded down $5.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $68.25. The company had a trading volume of 5,586,044 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,779,006. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.96. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $78.53 and a 200 day moving average of $77.65. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 1-year low of $58.10 and a 1-year high of $84.15.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 14.82%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. Nasdaq's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.00%.

Insider Transactions at Nasdaq

In related news, EVP Sarah Youngwood sold 14,959 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.68, for a total transaction of $1,102,179.12. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 59,694 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,398,253.92. This represents a 20.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.56, for a total value of $285,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,532,778.56. This represents a 5.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NDAQ shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Nasdaq from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $80.00 to $98.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Nasdaq from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $87.94.

Nasdaq Profile

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.