Global Retirement Partners LLC Raises Holdings in Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ

Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 402.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,431 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,952 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC’s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $722,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Nasdaq by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 59,916,887 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,819,727,000 after acquiring an additional 268,481 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Nasdaq by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 27,627,767 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,683,485,000 after acquiring an additional 1,258,964 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Nasdaq by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 19,619,192 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,735,318,000 after acquiring an additional 1,404,348 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Nasdaq by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,044,521 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $446,188,000 after acquiring an additional 532,775 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Nasdaq by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,198,608 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $371,367,000 after acquiring an additional 116,542 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nasdaq Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ NDAQ opened at $90.88 on Wednesday. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52-week low of $77.09 and a 52-week high of $101.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $87.87 and a 200-day moving average of $89.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.40 billion, a PE ratio of 27.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.03. Nasdaq had a net margin of 23.15% and a return on equity of 17.51%. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.79 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Nasdaq Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 26th. Investors of record on Friday, June 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This is a positive change from Nasdaq’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Nasdaq from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Argus raised shares of Nasdaq to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Loop Capital set a $113.00 target price on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Nasdaq has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In related news, SVP Michelle Lynn Daly sold 1,323 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $88.82, for a total transaction of $117,508.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 10,089 shares in the company, valued at approximately $896,104.98. The trade was a 11.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Cohen Tal sold 15,518 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.75, for a total transaction of $1,408,258.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 215,208 shares in the company, valued at $19,530,126. The trade was a 6.73% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 231,002 shares of company stock worth $20,295,941. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq Profile

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.