Brokerages Set Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Target Price at $68.54

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $68.54.

Several brokerages have recently commented on NDAQ. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $66.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Rosenblatt Securities lowered Nasdaq from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $64.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Argus increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In other Nasdaq news, major shareholder Seller Lp Argus sold 42,804,207 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.58, for a total transaction of $2,764,295,688.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 42,804,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,764,295,688.06. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nasdaq

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Y.D. More Investments Ltd raised its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 94.8% during the 2nd quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 415 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the last quarter. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. grew its position in shares of Nasdaq by 89.3% during the 1st quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 426 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Nasdaq by 164.4% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 505 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.47% of the company's stock.

Nasdaq Stock Up 1.3 %

Nasdaq stock traded up $0.89 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $72.08. 3,073,700 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,927,437. The business has a fifty day moving average of $65.43 and a 200 day moving average of $61.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $41.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.94, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.94. Nasdaq has a 12-month low of $46.88 and a 12-month high of $72.14.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.05. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 15.45% and a net margin of 14.43%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.71 earnings per share. Nasdaq's revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Nasdaq will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.33%. Nasdaq's payout ratio is currently 50.53%.

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.