Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on NDAQ. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Nasdaq from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Nasdaq from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Nasdaq currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.88.

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Nasdaq Price Performance

NASDAQ:NDAQ traded down $1.36 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $75.55. 3,046,079 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,633,539. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $79.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.45 billion, a PE ratio of 39.35, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Nasdaq 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 earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 14.82%. Research analysts expect that Nasdaq will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In related news, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,532,778.56. This represents a 5.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sarah Youngwood sold 14,959 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 59,694 shares in the company, valued at $4,398,253.92. The trade was a 20.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nasdaq

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 163.3% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,833,510 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $2,835,235,000 after purchasing an additional 24,084,154 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at $424,285,000. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Nasdaq by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,951,698 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,310,653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,811,616 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Nasdaq by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,005,047 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $464,676,000 after acquiring an additional 1,650,201 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter valued at about $110,867,000. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nasdaq Company 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.