Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Issues Earnings Results

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02, Zacks reports. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 14.56% and a net margin of 13.67%.

Nasdaq Price Performance

Shares of Nasdaq stock traded down $1.76 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $79.43. The stock had a trading volume of 1,766,182 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,503,823. Nasdaq has a twelve month low of $54.90 and a twelve month high of $83.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.65 billion, a PE ratio of 47.46, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $79.47 and its 200 day moving average is $74.46.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.21%. Nasdaq’s payout ratio is 57.49%.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In related news, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 5,742 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.34, for a total value of $444,086.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 205,821 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,918,196.14. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.92, for a total value of $935,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 114,580 shares in the company, valued at $8,928,073.60. The trade was a 9.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,817 shares of company stock worth $2,330,033 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NDAQ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Nasdaq from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Raymond James boosted their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 9th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Nasdaq from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Nasdaq from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.73.

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.