Kensington Investment Counsel LLC Has $372,000 Stock Position in Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ

Kensington Investment Counsel LLC lowered its position in Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) by 69.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 10,032 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Nasdaq were worth $372,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MV Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Nasdaq in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in shares of Nasdaq during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new position in shares of Nasdaq in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised Nasdaq from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upped their price target on shares of Nasdaq from $92.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Loop Capital set a $113.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price objective (up from $101.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nasdaq from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $109.73.

Key Stories Impacting Nasdaq

Here are the key news stories impacting Nasdaq this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Nasdaq to “Strong Buy” from “Hold,” adding a favorable near-term catalyst and signaling improved expectations for the financial technology and exchange operator. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Nasdaq’s latest results showed strong operating momentum: quarterly earnings per share reached $1.07, exceeding the $0.98 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 14.9% year over year to $2.53 billion. Analysts expect approximately $4.13 in full-year EPS.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive. Nasdaq has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $109.73, implying additional upside from recent trading levels; TD Cowen and Raymond James recently raised their targets to $105 and $113, respectively.
• Positive Sentiment: The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, equivalent to $1.24 annually and a yield of roughly 1.3%. A broader rally in financial stocks and fintech-related companies, including a record high for the XLF financial-sector ETF, may also be supporting the sector backdrop. Financial Sector ETF Hits Record High on Fintech Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional investors own approximately 72.5% of Nasdaq’s outstanding shares, providing a substantial base of professional ownership, although recent changes in institutional positions were relatively small.
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders disclosed multiple sales. President Pc Nelson Griggs sold 17,787 shares worth approximately $1.66 million across July 24 and July 27, reducing his position by roughly 7.8% overall. EVP Bradley J. Peterson also sold 13,000 shares valued at about $1.20 million, cutting his holdings by 9.2%. These transactions can create short-term selling pressure, although both executives retain significant stakes. Nasdaq Insider Selling Report

Nasdaq Stock Down 0.4%

NDAQ stock opened at $95.55 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.99. Nasdaq, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $76.55 and a fifty-two week high of $101.79. The business has a 50-day moving average of $87.65 and a 200-day moving average of $88.34.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 18.38% and a net margin of 22.60%.Nasdaq’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Nasdaq’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.15%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.61, for a total value of $1,203,930.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 128,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,881,214.73. The trade was a 9.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Pc Nelson Griggs sold 11,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.96, for a total transaction of $1,034,499.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 216,011 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,296,393.56. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 30,787 shares of company stock worth $2,865,505 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Nasdaq Company 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.