57,050 Shares in Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ Bought by Castlefield Investment Partners LLP

Castlefield Investment Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 57,050 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,497,000. Nasdaq makes up 3.1% of Castlefield Investment Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 14,574 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,106,000 after purchasing an additional 538 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Nasdaq by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 34,962 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,652,000 after purchasing an additional 10,110 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth grew its holdings in Nasdaq by 22.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 2,584 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Nasdaq by 345.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its position in Nasdaq by 4.4% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 11,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,018,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.47% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In related news, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 11,010 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.35, for a total value of $1,060,813.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 205,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,751,846.35. This trade represents a 5.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.61, for a total value of $1,203,930.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 128,293 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,881,214.73. The trade was a 9.20% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 41,797 shares of company stock worth $3,926,319. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

NASDAQ NDAQ opened at $98.22 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $89.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.97. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 12 month low of $76.55 and a 12 month high of $101.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.96.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.09. Nasdaq had a net margin of 22.60% and a return on equity of 18.38%. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. Nasdaq’s revenue was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 4.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on NDAQ shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $113.00 price target (up from $111.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Nasdaq from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on Nasdaq from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $110.30.

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.