Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ Stake Decreased by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 82,635 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 14,106 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $7,309,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Nasdaq by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,648,406 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,275,902,000 after acquiring an additional 3,848,406 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 33.5% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 27,274,620 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,438,897,000 after purchasing an additional 6,840,735 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 0.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,456,699 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,020,366,000 after purchasing an additional 89,391 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Nasdaq in the second quarter worth about $406,823,000. Finally, Amundi grew its position in Nasdaq by 55.7% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 3,535,689 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $316,515,000 after buying an additional 1,264,975 shares in the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In other Nasdaq news, EVP John Zecca sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were 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 directly owned 125,674 shares in the company, valued at $12,568,656.74. This trade represents a 3.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Adena T. Friedman sold 300,000 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 directly owned 1,924,903 shares in the company, valued at approximately $186,542,349.73. This trade represents a 13.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 604,500 shares of company stock valued at $58,440,045. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Nasdaq Stock Down 1.1%

NDAQ stock opened at $87.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $49.78 billion, a PE ratio of 28.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.02. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 12 month low of $64.84 and a 12 month high of $101.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $92.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.23.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.92 by $0.04. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 21.77%.The company had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.76 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 16th. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen upgraded shares of 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 research report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $109.00 price objective on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, January 9th. Argus upgraded Nasdaq to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $116.00 price target on Nasdaq and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $103.80.

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.