Northstar Asset Management Inc. Invests $4.58 Million in Nasdaq, Inc. $NDAQ

Northstar Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Nasdaq, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 51,736 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $4,576,000. Nasdaq makes up about 1.2% of Northstar Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest position.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Nasdaq by 35.9% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 64,153 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,737,000 after buying an additional 16,950 shares during the period. 111 Capital boosted its position in shares of Nasdaq by 67.0% during the 2nd quarter. 111 Capital now owns 11,089 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $992,000 after acquiring an additional 4,450 shares in the last quarter. Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in Nasdaq in the second quarter valued at about $1,511,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Nasdaq by 53.1% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 59,504 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,321,000 after purchasing an additional 20,637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB raised its position in Nasdaq by 74.4% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 82,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,259,000 after purchasing an additional 35,015 shares in the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nasdaq Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ NDAQ opened at $98.78 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.40 billion, a PE ratio of 35.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Nasdaq, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.84 and a 1 year high of $101.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $94.34 and its 200-day moving average is $92.26.

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.06. Nasdaq had a net margin of 19.90% and a return on equity of 16.28%. The business had revenue of $1.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.74 earnings per share. Nasdaq’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Nasdaq, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on NDAQ shares. Barclays set a $115.00 price objective on Nasdaq and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $120.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Monday, January 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $113.00 target price (up previously from $111.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $99.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $103.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Jeremy Skule sold 2,105 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.40, for a total value of $179,767.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 84,974 shares in the company, valued at $7,256,779.60. This trade represents a 2.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP John Zecca sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.01, for a total value of $450,045.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 125,674 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,568,656.74. This represents a 3.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 306,605 shares of company stock valued at $29,546,812 in the last 90 days. 0.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.