IPO Rebound And FinTech Growth Potential Is Helping Nasdaq: Analyst Double Upgrades Stock

Nasdaq Inc NDAQ stock gained after B of A Securities analyst Craig Siegenthaler double-upgraded the stock from Underperform to Buy and raised its price target from $53 to $90.

Siegenthaler applied a 25x multiple on his 2026 EPS to derive the price target. The multiple implies a slight discount to Nasdaq’s aspirational software and information services peer group but is a premium to its current valuation.

The analyst highlighted that the solutions segment now comprises 78% of revenue. Information services peers like S&P Global Inc SPGI, Moody’s Corp MCO, and MSCI Inc MSCI trade at 30x 2026E earnings and have a fair amount of overlap with Nasdaq’s Capital Access Platforms segment, the analyst said.

Similarly, its FinTech segment comprises 36% of group revenue, with management guiding toward 10%-14% growth over the medium term. Other financial vertical software companies MeridianLink, Inc MLNK, nCino, Inc NCNO, and Jack Henry & Associates, Inc JKHY with comparable growth profiles are trading around 30x-40x EPS, the analyst noted. Nasdaq, however, trades at just 21x consensus 2026 EPS, he added.

The analyst noted an upward rerating would stem from a pause in dealmaking, accelerated deleveraging, business streamlining, and an acceleration in revenue growth.

As per Siegenthaler, improving macroeconomic conditions in conjunction with long backlogs should make for an IPO rebound in 2025.

Specifically, equity market valuations have recovered to 2021 levels while volatility should normalize lower after the U.S. presidential election and Fed rate cuts, the analyst said.

At the same time, he added that private equity sponsors have a long pipeline of aging portfolio companies, and limited partners are demanding liquidity.

He said that a comeback in IPOs would directly benefit Nasdaq’s listings segment and have positive second-derivative impacts on its trading, corporate services, and financial data businesses.

Price Action: NDAQ stock traded higher by 2.22% at $72.97 at the last check on Wednesday.

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