GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Purchases 21,768 Shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 19.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 133,504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,768 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $10,321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elm3 Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $294,000. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $669,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 26.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 44,173 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,454,000 after purchasing an additional 9,130 shares during the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd increased its position in Nasdaq by 94.2% during the 4th quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd now owns 606 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Nasdaq by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,181 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NDAQ has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus upped their target price on Nasdaq from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. William Blair initiated coverage on Nasdaq in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Nasdaq from $79.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Nasdaq from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.88.

Nasdaq Stock Up 1.4 %

Nasdaq stock opened at $82.86 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.62 billion, a PE ratio of 43.16, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.99. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 12-month low of $54.90 and a 12-month high of $83.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $79.54 and its 200 day moving average is $75.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last announced 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 14.82%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. Nasdaq’s payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In related news, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 12,075 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.75, for a total value of $950,906.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 102,505 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,072,268.75. This trade represents a 10.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.56, for a total value of $285,460.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,532,778.56. This trade represents a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.70% 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.