Natixis Trims Holdings in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ)

Natixis reduced its stake in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Free Report) by 87.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,209 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 52,606 shares during the quarter. Natixis' holdings in Nasdaq were worth $557,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Founders Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Nasdaq in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Nasdaq by 106.6% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 436 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

NASDAQ NDAQ traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.36. The stock had a trading volume of 2,810,470 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,809,197. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.28 and a 52-week high of $84.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $43.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $75.07 and a 200 day moving average of $77.49.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.22 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 14.82%. Sell-side analysts predict that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Nasdaq Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 27th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.27 dividend. This is a boost from Nasdaq's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Nasdaq's payout ratio is currently 49.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NDAQ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Nasdaq from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $74.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Barclays dropped their price target on Nasdaq from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Nasdaq from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, April 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Nasdaq has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.18.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,576 shares in the company, 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 at the SEC website. Also, EVP Sarah Youngwood sold 14,959 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was 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 owns 59,694 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 three months, insiders have sold 19,116 shares of company stock valued at $1,434,818. Corporate insiders own 0.70% 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.