Round Hill Asset Management Reduces Stake in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ)

Round Hill Asset Management lowered its position in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,782 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 600 shares during the period. Nasdaq makes up approximately 5.0% of Round Hill Asset Management’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Round Hill Asset Management’s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $7,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 52,576,413 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,064,682,000 after acquiring an additional 376,893 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Nasdaq by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,018,705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $849,783,000 after purchasing an additional 257,465 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Nasdaq by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 10,379,012 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $802,401,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,672 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Nasdaq in the 4th quarter worth approximately $424,285,000. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in Nasdaq by 9.7% during 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 buying an additional 330,389 shares during the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NDAQ opened at $68.25 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $78.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.96. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 12-month low of $58.10 and a 12-month high of $84.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.95 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio is currently 50.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Nasdaq from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Raymond James boosted 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. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nasdaq from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $86.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $87.94.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Sarah Youngwood sold 14,959 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were 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 owns 59,694 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,398,253.92. The trade was a 20.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 $4,532,778.56. This trade represents a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

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.