Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Earns “Outperform” Rating from Royal Bank of Canada

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating restated by stock analysts at Royal Bank of Canada in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $95.00 price target on the financial services provider’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s target price suggests a potential upside of 15.38% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently issued reports on NDAQ. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Nasdaq from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Nasdaq from $92.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Nasdaq from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nasdaq from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.88.

Nasdaq Price Performance

Shares of NDAQ opened at $82.34 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $79.55 and its 200-day moving average is $74.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The company has a market capitalization of $47.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.98. Nasdaq has a fifty-two week low of $54.90 and a fifty-two week high of $83.77.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 14.91%. Equities research analysts expect that Nasdaq will post 3.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In related news, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 5,742 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.34, for a total value of $444,086.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 205,821 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,918,196.14. This represents a 2.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 12,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.92, for a total value of $935,040.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 114,580 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,928,073.60. This trade represents a 9.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 29,817 shares of company stock valued at $2,330,033 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nasdaq

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Founders Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Nasdaq during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 106.6% in the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 436 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Claro Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 72.47% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq Company Profile

Nasdaq, Inc operates as a technology company that serves capital markets and other industries worldwide. It operates in three segments: Capital Access Platforms, Financial Technology, and Market Services. The Capital Access Platforms segment sells and distributes historical and real-time market data; and develops and licenses Nasdaq-branded indices and financial products.