Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Now Covered by Erste Group Bank

Erste Group Bank started coverage on shares of Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) in a research note released on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm issued a buy rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Nasdaq from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Bank of America lowered their price target on Nasdaq from $135.00 to $132.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Nasdaq from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Nasdaq from $109.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $113.53.

Nasdaq Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ NDAQ opened at $106.23 on Friday. Nasdaq has a one year low of $76.55 and a one year high of $107.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $90.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.99.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The financial services provider reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a net margin of 22.81% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $2.39 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.88 EPS. Nasdaq’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Nasdaq 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, December 18th. Investors of record on Friday, December 4th will be given a $0.31 dividend. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 4th. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio is 33.88%.

Insider Transactions at Nasdaq

In other Nasdaq news, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 3,987 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.75, for a total transaction of $417,638.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 114,306 shares in the company, valued at $11,973,553.50. This trade represents a 3.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Tal Cohen sold 10,390 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.34, for a total value of $1,073,702.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 205,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,192,553.84. This represents a 4.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 22,877 shares of company stock valued at $2,330,505. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Nasdaq

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Nasdaq by 2.9% in the third quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 3,831 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $353,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 4,633 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $426,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC increased its stake in Nasdaq by 1.8% in the first quarter. Quantum Portfolio Management LLC now owns 7,144 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in Nasdaq by 2.5% during the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 5,643 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AlphaCentric Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. AlphaCentric Advisors LLC now owns 2,603 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.47% of the company’s stock.

Key Nasdaq News

Here are the key news stories impacting Nasdaq this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New analyst buy rating: Erste Group Bank initiated coverage of Nasdaq with a “buy” rating, adding to the company’s positive analyst profile. The consensus rating remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average price target of $113.53. Erste Group Bank Nasdaq coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Technology expansion: Nasdaq Europe plans to launch “trajectory trading” in November. The new trading capability could strengthen Nasdaq’s market-technology offering and support future trading-related revenue. Nasdaq Europe trajectory trading
• Positive Sentiment: Solid financial momentum: Nasdaq recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.04 per share, ahead of the $1.02 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 12.6% year over year to $2.39 billion. This earnings performance supports the company’s valuation and recent share-price strength.
• Neutral Sentiment: Routine listing enforcement: Nasdaq notified Charming Medical Limited that it may be delisted and halted trading in TJGC Group while requesting additional information. These actions highlight Nasdaq’s regulatory oversight but are unlikely to materially affect NDAQ’s earnings. Charming Medical delisting
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: EVP Bradley Peterson sold 3,987 shares for approximately $418,000, reducing his holdings by 3.37%. A separate report also cited insider Tal Cohen selling 10,390 shares. While the executives retain substantial positions, the sales could create modest selling pressure after NDAQ’s advance. Nasdaq insider selling

About Nasdaq

Nasdaq, Inc is a global financial technology and market infrastructure company best known for operating the Nasdaq Stock Market, one of the world’s largest electronic stock exchanges. The company provides listing services for public companies and operates trading venues for equities, options and other financial products. Its exchange business serves companies, investors and market participants in the United States, as well as through Nasdaq’s Nordic and Baltic market operations.

Beyond its exchange activities, Nasdaq provides market data, analytics, indexes and technology used by exchanges, brokers, banks, asset managers and other financial institutions.