Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Upgraded at StockNews.com

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

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Nasdaq from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Argus upped their price target on Nasdaq from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Nasdaq from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Nasdaq presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.53.

Nasdaq Trading Down 0.9 %

Nasdaq stock traded down $0.75 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $80.12. 1,890,678 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,849,274. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.98, a PEG ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95. Nasdaq has a fifty-two week low of $54.54 and a fifty-two week high of $83.77. The firm's 50 day moving average is $77.59 and its 200-day moving average is $70.19.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.17 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 13.67% and a return on equity of 14.56%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.71 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Nasdaq will post 2.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In other news, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 13,642 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.32, for a total transaction of $1,027,515.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 142,830 shares in the company, valued at $10,757,955.60. This represents a 8.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 12,075 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.75, for a total value of $950,906.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 102,505 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,072,268.75. The trade was a 10.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 49,459 shares of company stock worth $3,811,808. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Nasdaq

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nasdaq in the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,099,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in Nasdaq by 8.0% in the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 90,640 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $6,618,000 after buying an additional 6,704 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Nasdaq by 38.6% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 60,535 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $4,420,000 after buying an additional 16,868 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,266,000. Finally, Sfmg LLC bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $207,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.47% of the company's stock.

About Nasdaq

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.