The Dividend Daily

Before the bell on Thursday stock exchange operator NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NDAQ) reported a rise to its fourth quarter profits, beating the Wall Street view.

The New York, New York-based company said its fourth quarter profit was up to $85 million, or 50 cents per share, from $82 million, or 45 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Adjusting for one-time items and charges, the company’s EPS was 64 cents. This beat the Wall Street view as analysts were expecting EPS to be 61 cents.

Revenue for the quarter was up to $419 million compared to the revenue of $409 million in 2011 quarter four. Analysts were expecting revenue to be $412 million.

The company declared its quarterly dividend of 13 cents per share payable on March 28 to shareholders on March 14.

NASDAQ OMX shares were flat during pre-market trading on Thursday. The stock is up +7.62% over the past year.

The Bottom Line
Shares of NASDAQ OMX (NDAQ) have a dividend yield of 1.86% based on last night’s closing price of $27.97.

NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NDAQ) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars.

Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.