Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) PT Raised to $77.00

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) had its price target increased by Barclays from $74.00 to $77.00 in a research note released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Nasdaq from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Argus upped their target price on Nasdaq from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley raised Nasdaq from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $59.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. Rosenblatt Securities downgraded Nasdaq from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $76.00 to $64.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $68.25.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NDAQ opened at $67.92 on Friday. Nasdaq has a twelve month low of $46.88 and a twelve month high of $68.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.07 billion, a PE ratio of 35.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.94.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The financial services provider reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 14.43% and a return on equity of 15.45%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 25.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.71 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Nasdaq will post 2.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio is 50.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Nasdaq news, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,036 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.89, for a total value of $181,826.04. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 58,636 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,511,710.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nasdaq

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NDAQ. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 960 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust boosted its holdings in Nasdaq by 1.6% in the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 11,330 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 89.3% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New increased its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 5.6% during the first quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 3,872 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $245,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 18.6% during the second quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 1,591 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.