R Squared Ltd Buys 14,660 Shares of Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ

R Squared Ltd raised its stake in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 258.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,328 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,660 shares during the period. Nasdaq makes up about 0.8% of R Squared Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. R Squared Ltd’s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $1,798,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Nasdaq by 9.5% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 876,648 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $77,540,000 after purchasing an additional 75,994 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Nasdaq by 129.2% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 55,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,877,000 after buying an additional 31,081 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Nasdaq by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 66,197 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,855,000 after buying an additional 2,044 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 236.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 18,419 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,629,000 after buying an additional 12,950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RWA Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 24,952 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,207,000 after acquiring an additional 2,226 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on NDAQ shares. Argus upgraded shares of Nasdaq to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $115.00 target price (up from $114.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday, January 30th. TD Cowen raised Nasdaq from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $105.00 to $106.00 in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price objective (up from $115.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, January 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.80.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP John Zecca sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.01, for a total value of $450,045.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 125,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,568,656.74. This represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Adena T. Friedman sold 300,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.91, for a total transaction of $29,073,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,924,903 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $186,542,349.73. This trade represents a 13.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 604,500 shares of company stock worth $58,440,045. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq Stock Up 5.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:NDAQ opened at $88.59 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $92.95 and a 200-day moving average of $91.33. The company has a market capitalization of $50.36 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52-week low of $64.84 and a 52-week high of $101.79.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $2.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 21.77%.Nasdaq’s revenue was up 13.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.76 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.95%.

About Nasdaq

Nasdaq, Inc is a global financial technology company that operates one of the world’s leading electronic securities exchanges and provides a broad array of products and services to capital markets participants. Its core activities include operating the Nasdaq Stock Market and other trading venues, developing and supplying market technology and matching engines to exchanges and trading firms, licensing market data and indices, and offering clearing, trade execution and post-trade solutions. The company also provides market surveillance, risk management and regulatory technology used by exchanges and regulators.

Founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) as the first electronic stock market, Nasdaq has evolved into a diversified marketplace and technology provider.