Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.09 EPS

Nasdaq (NASDAQ:NDAQ) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.09, FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.46 billion. Nasdaq had a return on equity of 17.51% and a net margin of 23.15%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 EPS.

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

• Nasdaq reported a strong second quarter with net revenue up 15%, solutions revenue up 17%, and diluted EPS up 25% to $1.07, while operating and EBITDA margins both expanded by two points.
• The company highlighted major milestones in its growth businesses, including index AUM surpassing $1 trillion, record quarterly inflows of $51 billion, and Verafin crossing $13 trillion in combined assets across more than 2,800 financial institutions.
• Capital Access Platforms benefited from a very strong listings environment, led by the SpaceX IPO and other marquee deals, while Nasdaq said the U.S. listings franchise had its strongest first half ever with $111 billion in operating company proceeds raised.
• Financial Technology continued to post robust momentum, with 15% revenue growth and 16% ARR growth; management pointed to strong demand in Verafin, regulatory tech, and capital markets tech, plus growing adoption of its AI-driven tools.
• Management is leaning into AI, tokenization, always-on markets, and 24/7 trading as long-term opportunities, but it also warned that these areas are still early and may require significant regulatory and infrastructure changes before they materially scale.

Nasdaq Price Performance

Shares of NDAQ stock traded up $1.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $92.05. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 673,208 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,073,948. Nasdaq has a 1-year low of $76.55 and a 1-year high of $101.79. The company has a market cap of $52.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.72, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $87.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.50.

Nasdaq Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid 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 37.35%.

Nasdaq News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Nasdaq this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Nasdaq posted second-quarter 2026 results that topped expectations, with earnings of $1.07 per share versus $0.98 expected and revenue of $2.53 billion, reflecting 14.9% year-over-year growth and signaling solid momentum across the business. Nasdaq Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results; $1.5 Billion in Net Revenue and Historic Milestones Reflect Broad-Based Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.31 per share, reinforcing confidence in cash generation and returning capital to shareholders. Nasdaq Announces Quarterly Dividend of $0.31 Per Share
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted broad-based strength in index and fintech-related businesses, with commentary and transcript coverage pointing to expanded margins and record Market Services performance. NDAQ Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on Index and FinTech Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Nasdaq ended its Miami-related case and sold its Fund Secondaries business, a move that may reduce distraction and sharpen focus on core exchange and technology operations. Nasdaq (NDAQ) Ends Miami Case And Sells Fund Secondaries Business
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple transcript and recap articles from the earnings call add color on the quarter, but they mainly reinforce the same upbeat take on operating trends rather than introducing new surprises. Nasdaq Q2 2026 Earnings Call: Complete Transcript

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Cohen Tal sold 15,518 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.75, for a total value of $1,408,258.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 215,208 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,530,126. This represents a 6.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Bradley J. Peterson sold 7,710 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.82, for a total transaction of $700,222.20. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 141,035 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,808,798.70. This represents a 5.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Equitable Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Nasdaq by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Equitable Holdings Inc. now owns 7,237 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $640,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Nasdaq by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,705 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC lifted its stake in shares of Nasdaq by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 10,619 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,031,000 after buying an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nasdaq by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,664 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 266 shares during the period. Finally, L2 Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Nasdaq by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. L2 Asset Management LLC now owns 2,551 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. 72.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NDAQ shares. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $111.00 price target (up from $108.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nasdaq from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Nasdaq in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Nasdaq in a research note on Friday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $110.00 price target on shares of Nasdaq in a report on Thursday, June 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nasdaq has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $108.25.

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.