Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Announces Earnings Results

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) released its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $2.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 21.77%.Nasdaq’s quarterly revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.79 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Nasdaq’s conference call:

• Strong Q1 results: Nasdaq reported $1.4B in net revenue (+13% YoY), ARR of $3.2B (+12%), operating income up 17% and diluted EPS up 21%, driven by solutions and record Financial Technology growth.
• Financial Technology momentum: Record ACV bookings (>50% YoY), 64 new clients, 85 upsells, and 80% of bookings cloud-based, with Verafin revenue +21% and expanding SMB and enterprise traction.
• Market innovation & expansion: SEC approval to extend to 23/5 trading (target launch Dec 6, 2026) and permission for tokenized securities position Nasdaq to lead in always-on markets and new tokenization-related products and services.
• Rising operating expense guidance: Operating expenses rose 8% in Q1 and management raised 2026 non-GAAP expense guidance ($2.485B–$2.545B), warning of higher expense growth in Q2 due to annual compensation timing.
• Capital returns & cash flow: Generated $629M of free cash flow in Q1, repurchased $548M of stock in the quarter, and announced a dividend increase to $0.31, returning over $700M to shareholders in Q1.

Nasdaq Stock Performance

Nasdaq stock traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $86.91. 2,311,244 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,131,952. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $85.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $49.40 billion, a PE ratio of 28.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.02. Nasdaq has a one year low of $71.98 and a one year high of $101.79.

Nasdaq Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 16th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 16th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Nasdaq’s payout ratio is presently 34.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Nasdaq news, CEO Adena T. Friedman sold 113,611 shares of Nasdaq stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.44, for a total transaction of $9,706,923.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,965,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,953,765.44. The trade was a 5.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 506,451 shares of company stock worth $47,142,951. 0.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nasdaq

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of Nasdaq by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,369,264 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $521,517,000 after purchasing an additional 324,743 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 27.7% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 210,727 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,392,000 after acquiring an additional 45,705 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,270,134 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $123,368,000 after acquiring an additional 37,858 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 72.0% in the 4th quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 4,353 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $423,000 after acquiring an additional 1,822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 150,214 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,554,000 after acquiring an additional 17,752 shares during the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Nasdaq

Here are the key news stories impacting Nasdaq this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations — Nasdaq reported adjusted EPS of $0.96, topping consensus, and delivered double‑digit net revenue growth year‑over‑year, signaling broad execution across its businesses. Nasdaq (NDAQ) Tops Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Fintech and index businesses were key drivers of the beat — strength in recurring-data, index licensing and fintech solutions supported margins and revenue upside. This helps justify the stock rally as investors favor predictable, high‑margin streams. Nasdaq stock up as fintech, index segments drive Q1 earnings beat
• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.31 per share, payable June 26 — a direct shareholder return and a signal of confidence in cash flow. That tends to support income‑oriented demand for the shares. Nasdaq Announces Increase in Quarterly Dividend to $0.31 Per Share
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary are reassessing valuation after recent share‑price weakness; some see upside vs. targets while others caution on stretched multiples — this discussion could temper further rallies until forward growth visibility is clearer. Assessing Nasdaq (NDAQ) Valuation After Recent Share Price Weakness And Growth Expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre‑earnings previews and metric deep dives were published ahead of results — useful for framing the beat but not materially new now that results are out. Nasdaq (NDAQ) To Report Earnings Tomorrow: Here Is What To Expect
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and large institutional position reductions were noted in recent filings (several executive sales and a major institutional cut), which can weigh on sentiment if perceived as profit‑taking or reduced conviction. Monitor ongoing insider/institutional activity for follow‑through. Nasdaq Reports Strong First‑Quarter 2026 Financial Results (with insider/institutional notes)

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NDAQ has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays raised their price target on Nasdaq from $115.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods initiated coverage on Nasdaq in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $92.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Nasdaq from $100.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.25.

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.