Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Raised to "Hold" at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on NDAQ. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Bank of America boosted their price target on Nasdaq from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of Nasdaq from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Nasdaq from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $74.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $85.88.

Nasdaq Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:NDAQ traded up $0.85 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $73.54. 1,644,353 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,822,991. The firm has a market cap of $42.30 billion, a PE ratio of 38.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. Nasdaq has a fifty-two week low of $58.10 and a fifty-two week high of $84.15. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

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

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. Nasdaq's payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Insider Transactions at Nasdaq

In other news, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.56, for a total transaction of $285,460.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,532,778.56. This represents a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Sarah Youngwood sold 14,959 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.68, for a total value of $1,102,179.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 59,694 shares of the company's stock, 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,116 shares of company stock worth $1,434,818. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Nasdaq

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 194.6% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 327 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 1,509.5% in the first quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 338 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Founders Capital Management bought a new stake in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors own 72.47% of the company's stock.

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.