Signaturefd LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ)

Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,893 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 163.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,833,510 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,835,235,000 after purchasing an additional 24,084,154 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Nasdaq by 11.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,951,698 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,310,653,000 after acquiring an additional 1,811,616 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Nasdaq by 9.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,761,240 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $783,181,000 after acquiring an additional 932,665 shares during the period. Harris Associates L P grew its stake in Nasdaq by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Harris Associates L P now owns 8,596,022 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $627,596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,096,090 shares during the period. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its stake in Nasdaq by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 3,723,392 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $309,360,000 after acquiring an additional 330,389 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Shares of NDAQ opened at $76.91 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $79.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $44.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.96. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52-week low of $58.10 and a 52-week high of $84.15.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a net margin of 15.10% and a return on equity of 14.82%. Research analysts predict that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.25%. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 50.00%.

Insider Transactions at Nasdaq

In related 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,532,778.56. This trade represents a 5.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Sarah Youngwood sold 14,959 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.68, for a total value of $1,102,179.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 59,694 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,398,253.92. This represents a 20.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on NDAQ shares. William Blair started coverage on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Monday, November 25th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Raymond James lifted 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Nasdaq from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $80.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $79.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.88.

About Nasdaq

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.