Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,150,000 shares, a growth of 19.9% from the January 15th total of 3,460,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 2,660,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.6 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on NDAQ shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Nasdaq from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Raymond James increased their price target on Nasdaq from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. UBS Group increased their price target on Nasdaq from $79.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Nasdaq from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Nasdaq currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In other news, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.56, for a total transaction of $285,460.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 55,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,532,778.56. This represents a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nasdaq

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Nasdaq during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Nasdaq by 106.6% during the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.47% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Nasdaq stock traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $80.91. 2,011,962 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,729,579. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.99. Nasdaq has a fifty-two week low of $54.90 and a fifty-two week high of $84.15. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $79.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $76.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.50 billion, a PE ratio of 42.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.99.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 14.82% and a net margin of 15.10%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Nasdaq will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio is presently 50.00%.

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.