Clarus Wealth Advisors Raises Stake in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ)

Clarus Wealth Advisors grew its stake in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 16.3% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 10,696 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Clarus Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Nasdaq were worth $815,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Founders Capital Management purchased a new position in Nasdaq in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Nasdaq in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Focused Wealth Management Inc acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the third quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Nasdaq during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.47% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nasdaq

In related news, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 13,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.32, for a total value of $1,027,515.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 142,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,757,955.60. This represents a 8.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.92, for a total value of $935,040.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 114,580 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders sold 49,459 shares of company stock worth $3,811,808. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Shares of NDAQ opened at $76.25 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $79.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.00. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.90 and a 52-week high of $83.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $43.83 billion, a PE ratio of 45.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.98.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The financial services provider reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.05. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 14.56% and a net margin of 13.67%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.71 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 2.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NDAQ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 9th. StockNews.com upgraded Nasdaq from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 14th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Nasdaq from $73.00 to $79.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America decreased their target price on Nasdaq from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on Nasdaq from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Nasdaq currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.73.

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.