Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Has $4.05 Million Stock Holdings in Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. decreased its position in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 64.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,751 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 85,413 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.’s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $4,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NDAQ. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Nasdaq by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 14,574 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,106,000 after buying an additional 538 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its stake in Nasdaq by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 34,962 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,652,000 after acquiring an additional 10,110 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in Nasdaq by 22.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 14,351 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 2,584 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Nasdaq by 345.5% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 597 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 463 shares during the period. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its holdings in Nasdaq by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 11,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,018,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares during the period. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nasdaq Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NDAQ opened at $92.09 on Monday. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 52 week low of $76.55 and a 52 week high of $101.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01. The company has a market capitalization of $51.48 billion, a PE ratio of 26.85, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $87.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $88.45.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. Nasdaq had a net margin of 22.60% and a return on equity of 18.38%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.85 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.15%.

Key Stories Impacting Nasdaq

Here are the key news stories impacting Nasdaq this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Nasdaq delivered a solid Q2 beat on both earnings and revenue, with strong growth in index and FinTech driving better-than-expected results and record Market Services performance. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, which may appeal to income-focused investors and signals continued shareholder returns. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted its price target to $102, indicating improved valuation expectations even though the rating remained market perform. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Nasdaq’s July short-interest report showed 0 shares short and a 0.0-day days-to-cover figure, which appears more like a data anomaly than a meaningful trading signal. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also ended its Miami case and sold its fund secondaries business, a portfolio move that may be viewed as strategic housekeeping rather than a major earnings driver. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nasdaq news, major shareholder Ab Investor bought 56,782 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $85.98 per share, for a total transaction of $4,882,116.36. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider owned 58,439,208 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,024,603,103.84. The trade was a 0.10% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 7,710 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total value of $700,222.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 141,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,808,798.70. The trade was a 5.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Nasdaq from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 3rd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Friday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on Nasdaq from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Monday, July 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $109.73.

Nasdaq Profile

Nasdaq, Inc is a global financial technology company that operates one of the world’s leading electronic securities exchanges and provides a broad array of products and services to capital markets participants. Its core activities include operating the Nasdaq Stock Market and other trading venues, developing and supplying market technology and matching engines to exchanges and trading firms, licensing market data and indices, and offering clearing, trade execution and post-trade solutions. The company also provides market surveillance, risk management and regulatory technology used by exchanges and regulators.

Founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) as the first electronic stock market, Nasdaq has evolved into a diversified marketplace and technology provider.