Short Interest in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Grows By 19.9%

Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in 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 short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Barclays dropped their price target on Nasdaq from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Argus raised their price target on Nasdaq from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Nasdaq from $81.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 28th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $79.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Nasdaq from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 14th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Nasdaq currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.88.

Nasdaq Trading Down 1.0 %

NDAQ traded down $0.78 during trading on Monday, reaching $80.91. 2,011,962 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,729,579. The stock 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. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $79.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.01. 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 has a one year low of $54.90 and a one year high of $84.15.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The financial services provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.02. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 14.82% and a net margin of 15.10%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Nasdaq will post 3.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

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. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Nasdaq’s payout ratio is presently 50.00%.

Insider Activity at Nasdaq

In other news, EVP Bryan Everard Smith sold 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.56, for a total value of $285,460.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 55,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,532,778.56. This represents a 5.92 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nasdaq

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Olstein Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 80,000 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $6,185,000 after buying an additional 21,000 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Nasdaq by 75.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 53,933 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,170,000 after purchasing an additional 23,244 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position 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 worth $3,454,000 after buying an additional 9,130 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth $856,000. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 49.8% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 164,179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,987,000 after buying an additional 54,594 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.47% 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.