Nasdaq Reports Second Quarter 2024 Results - Strong Performance Across All Divisions With Double-Digit Solutions Growth

Nasdaq, Inc. (Nasdaq: NDAQ) today reported financial results for the second quarter of 2024.

• Second quarter 2024 net revenues¹ were $1.2 billion, an increase of 25% over the second quarter of 2023, up 10% on a pro forma² basis. This included Solutions³ revenues increasing 34%, or 13% on a pro forma basis.
• Annualized Recurring Revenue (ARR)⁴ of $2.7 billion increased 29% over the second quarter of 2023, up 7% on a pro forma basis.
• Financial Technology revenues of $420 million increased 79% over the second quarter of 2023, up 16% on a pro forma basis.
• Index revenues of $167 million increased 29%, with $53 billion of net inflows over the trailing twelve months and $17 billion in the second quarter.
• GAAP diluted earnings per share decreased 30% in the second quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP⁵ diluted earnings per share decreased 3% in the second quarter of 2024, but increased 7% organically.
• In the second quarter of 2024, the company returned $138 million to shareholders through dividends and $58 million through share repurchases of common stock. The company also repaid a net $174 million of commercial paper in the second quarter of 2024.

 

Second Quarter 2024 Highlights

*Pro forma results are presented assuming AxiomSL and Calypso were included in the prior year quarterly results. Pro forma growth excludes the impacts of foreign currency except for AxiomSL and Calypso, which are not yet calculated on an organic basis.

**Net revenues includes $8 million of Other Revenues, which primarily reflect revenues associated with the European power trading and clearing business.

Adena Friedman, Chair and CEO said, “Nasdaq’s strong financial and operational results were underpinned by broad-based growth across our three divisions and another quarter of double-digit Solutions growth.

We continued the momentum in our Financial Technology division as financial institutions remain focused on resilience, risk management, and infrastructure modernization.

We are also pleased with our progress across our strategic priorities. We are delivering on our integration targets ahead of schedule, we have exciting AI-driven innovation within our products, and we are starting to see results in cross-sells through our One Nasdaq strategy."

Sarah Youngwood, Executive Vice President and CFO said, “Nasdaq delivered a quarter of strong top-line growth and positive operating leverage.

We successfully executed on our first deleveraging goal and achieved our year-end 2024 actioned synergy target six months in advance.

Looking ahead, we are well-positioned to deliver durable organic growth and profitability, and make progress on our capital allocation priorities.”

FINANCIAL REVIEW     

• Second quarter 2024 net revenues were $1.2 billion, an increase of $234 million, reflecting 25% growth versus the prior year period, or 10% growth on a pro forma basis. Revenue growth includes a $168 million benefit related to the acquisition of Adenza, partially offset by a $2 million decrease from the impact of changes in FX rates.

• Solutions revenues were $901 million in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of $228 million, up 34% versus the prior year period, or 13% growth on a pro forma basis, reflecting strong growth from Index and Financial Technology.

• ARR grew 29% year over year, or 7% on a pro forma basis, in the second quarter with 13% pro forma ARR growth for Financial Technology and 1% ARR growth for Capital Access Platforms.

• Market Services net revenues were $250 million in the second quarter of 2024, an increase of $8 million, or 3%, versus the prior year period. The increase was primarily driven by a $7 million increase in U.S. cash equities and a $2 million increase in European cash equities, partially offset by a $4 million decline in U.S. tape plan revenue.

• Second quarter 2024 GAAP operating expenses were $736 million, an increase of $193 million, or 36%, versus the prior year period. The increase for the second quarter of 2024 is primarily due to the acquisition of Adenza, which resulted in an additional $85 million in amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, $67 million of other AxiomSL and Calypso operating expenses, and $37 million of increased restructuring charges associated with the program we initiated to optimize our efficiencies as a combined organization and integrating the Adenza acquisition, as well as organic growth driven by increased investments in technology and our people to drive innovation and long-term growth. These increases were partially offset by a $41 million decrease in merger and strategic initiatives expense and the benefit of synergies.

• Second quarter 2024 non-GAAP operating expenses were $539 million, an increase of $98 million, reflecting 22% growth versus the prior year period, or 7% growth on a pro forma basis. The increase for the second quarter of 2024 is primarily due to the inclusion of $67 million of AxiomSL and Calypso operating expenses. The pro forma increase reflects growth driven by increased investments in technology and our people to drive innovation and long-term growth, partially offset by the benefit of synergies.

• Second quarter 2024 cash flow from operations was $460 million, enabling the company to continue to make meaningful progress on its deleveraging plan. In the second quarter of 2024, the company returned $138 million to shareholders through dividends and $58 million through repurchases of our common stock. The company also repaid a net $174 million of commercial paper in the second quarter of 2024. As of June 30, 2024, there was $1.8 billion remaining under the board authorized share repurchase program.

 

2024 EXPENSE AND TAX GUIDANCE UPDATE⁶

• The company is updating its 2024 non-GAAP operating expense guidance to a range of $2,145 million to $2,185 million, and maintaining its 2024 non-GAAP tax rate guidance to be in the range of 24.5% to 26.5%.

 

STRATEGIC AND BUSINESS UPDATES

• Financial Technology delivered strong revenue growth in the second quarter. Performance in the division reflected the value of its mission-critical solutions and clients moving towards more strategic, long-term partnerships across the most critical areas of risk and compliance. Financial Technology pro forma ARR growth was 13% in the second quarter, while achieving 67 new customers, 96 upsells, and 4 cross-sells. Highlights in the second quarter include:
  
  • Financial Crime Management Technology ARR growth of 25% reflects sustained SMB customer momentum and continued progress in its enterprise strategy. Financial Crime Management Technology signed 53 new SMB clients while building its Tier 1 and Tier 2 pipeline with growth in proofs-of-concept (POCs) across this client segment. Financial Crime Management Technology also signed a new Tier 1 bank in July 2024. 
  • AxiomSL and Calypso achieved 14% combined pro forma ARR growth with strong cloud bookings. AxiomSL and Calypso delivered a combined 58 upsells and 6 new clients, indicative of the strength of client relationships and value of the offerings. 68% of new bookings in the quarter were cloud-based. Combined gross revenue retention⁷ was 96% and net revenue retention⁸ was 111%. Excluding the impact of a significant bankruptcy first noted in the fourth quarter of 2023, pro forma ARR growth was 15%, gross revenue retention was 98% and net revenue retention was 112%. 
  • Market Technology delivered 9% ARR growth, reflecting ongoing execution within the market modernization megatrend. Market Technology grew subscription revenue 9%, inline with ARR growth, with 9 upsells and 2 new clients, including a new partnership with the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) to upgrade its market infrastructure. IDX will upgrade its core trading platform to Nasdaq’s most advanced matching engine and committed to extend its use of Nasdaq’s market surveillance solution.

• Index delivered another quarter of exceptional performance and advanced its growth strategy across product innovation, globalization, and institutional client expansion. Index had $53 billion in net inflows over the trailing 12 months, with $17 billion in the second quarter. Nasdaq’s Index business achieved another record in Index ETP AUM, averaging $531 billion during the second quarter and reaching $569 billion at quarter-end. Index derivatives trading volumes increased 25% year-over-year, also contributing to revenue growth in the quarter. Nasdaq partnered in the launch of 18 new products in the quarter, including 3 insurance annuity vehicles targeting institutional clients, and half of these product launches were outside the United States.
• Nasdaq extended its listings leadership in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2024. As IPO activity improved in the second quarter, Nasdaq had a 72% win rate of eligible operating companies, reflecting 31 U.S. operating company IPOs that raised more than $3 billion in proceeds. This achievement marks the 42nd consecutive quarter of Nasdaq’s leadership in the number of U.S. operating company listings.
• Nasdaq executed the highest ever one-day notional Closing Cross volume in June. During the annual Russell U.S. indexes reconstitution, Nasdaq successfully facilitated approximately 2.9 billion shares traded in 0.878 seconds across Nasdaq-listed securities, representing a record $95.3 billion dollars in market value.
• Nasdaq’s performance was further enhanced by continued progress against its 2024 strategic priorities – Integrate, Innovate, Accelerate – positioning the company to capitalize on opportunities for sustainable, scalable, and resilient growth.
  
  • Integrate - Nasdaq actioned over 70% of its net expense synergy goal and achieved its 4.0x deleveraging target ahead of schedule.
  • Innovate - Consistent with GenAI capabilities recently released in Verafin and BoardVantage, Nasdaq launched an AI-enabled pension meeting minutes summarization tool within eVestment while expanding the pipeline of AI features scheduled for introduction in upcoming quarters.
  • Accelerate - Nasdaq completed 11 cross-sells since the close of the Adenza transaction, including 4 during the second quarter.

 

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1. Represents revenues less transaction-based expenses.
2. Pro forma results are presented assuming AxiomSL and Calypso were included in the prior year quarterly results. These results are not calculated in a manner consistent with the pro forma requirements in Article 11 of Regulation S-X. Pro forma growth excludes the impacts of foreign currency except for AxiomSL and Calypso, which are not yet calculated on an organic basis.
3. Constitutes revenues from our Capital Access Platforms and Financial Technology segments.
4. Annualized Recurring Revenue (ARR) for a given period is the current annualized value derived from subscription contracts with a defined contract value. This excludes contracts that are not recurring, are one-time in nature or where the contract value fluctuates based on defined metrics. ARR is currently one of our key performance metrics to assess the health and trajectory of our recurring business. ARR does not have any standardized definition and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. ARR should be viewed independently of revenue and deferred revenue and is not intended to be combined with or to replace either of those items. For AxiomSL and Calypso recurring revenue contracts, the amount included in ARR is consistent with the amount that we invoice the customer during the current period. Additionally, for AxiomSL and Calypso recurring revenue contracts that include annual values that increase over time, we include in ARR only the annualized value of components of the contract that are considered active as of the date of the ARR calculation. We do not include the future committed increases in the contract value as of the date of the ARR calculation. ARR is not a forecast and the active contracts at the end of a reporting period used in calculating ARR may or may not be extended or renewed by our customers.
5. Refer to our reconciliations of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP net income, diluted earnings per share, operating income, operating expenses and organic impacts included in the attached schedules.
6. U.S. GAAP operating expense and tax rate guidance are not provided due to the inherent difficulty in quantifying certain amounts due to a variety of factors including the unpredictability in the movement in foreign currency rates, as well as future charges or reversals outside of the normal course of business.
7. Gross Retention: As used herein for AxiomSL and Calypso, ARR in the current period over ARR in the prior year period for existing customers excluding price increases and upsells and excluding new customers.
8. Net Retention: As used herein for AxiomSL and Calypso, ARR in the current period over ARR in the prior year period for existing customers including price increases and upsells and excluding new customers.

NON-GAAP INFORMATION

In addition to disclosing results determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, Nasdaq also discloses certain non-GAAP results of operations, including, but not limited to, non-GAAP net income attributable to Nasdaq, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, non-GAAP operating income, and non-GAAP operating expenses, that include certain adjustments or exclude certain charges and gains that are described in the reconciliation table of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP information provided at the end of this release. Management uses this non-GAAP information internally, along with U.S. GAAP information, in evaluating our performance and in making financial and operational decisions. We believe our presentation of these measures provides investors with greater transparency and supplemental data relating to our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we believe the presentation of these measures is useful to investors for period-to-period comparisons of results as the items described below in the reconciliation tables do not reflect ongoing operating performance.

These measures are not in accordance with, or an alternative to, U.S. GAAP, and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. In addition, other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate such measures differently, which reduces their usefulness as a comparative measure. Investors should not rely on any single financial measure when evaluating our business. This information should be considered as supplemental in nature and is not meant as a substitute for our operating results in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We recommend investors review the U.S. GAAP financial measures included in this earnings release. When viewed in conjunction with our U.S. GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliations, we believe these non-GAAP measures provide greater transparency and a more complete understanding of factors affecting our business than U.S. GAAP measures alone.

We understand that analysts and investors regularly rely on non-GAAP financial measures, such as those noted above, to assess operating performance. We use these measures because they highlight trends more clearly in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on U.S. GAAP financial measures, since these measures eliminate from our results specific financial items that have less bearing on our ongoing operating performance.

Organic revenue and expense growth, organic change and organic impact are non-GAAP measures that reflect adjustments for: (i) the impact of period-over-period changes in foreign currency exchange rates, and (ii) the revenues, expenses and operating income associated with acquisitions and divestitures for the twelve month period following the date of the acquisition or divestiture. Reconciliations of these measures are described within the body of this release or in the reconciliation tables at the end of this release.

Foreign exchange impact: In countries with currencies other than the U.S. dollar, revenues and expenses are translated using monthly average exchange rates. Certain discussions in this release isolate the impact of year-over-year foreign currency fluctuations to better measure the comparability of operating results between periods. Operating results excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations are calculated by translating the current period’s results by the prior period’s exchange rates.

Restructuring programs: In the fourth quarter of 2023, following the closing of the Adenza acquisition, our management approved, committed to and initiated a restructuring program, “Adenza Restructuring” to optimize our efficiencies as a combined organization. In connection with this program, we expect to incur pre-tax charges principally related to employee-related costs, contract terminations, real estate impairments and other related costs. We expect to achieve benefits primarily in the form of expense and revenue synergies. In October 2022, following our September announcement to realign our segments and leadership, we initiated a divisional alignment program with a focus on realizing the full potential of this structure. In connection with the program, we expect to incur pre-tax charges principally related to employee-related costs, consulting, asset impairments and contract terminations over a two-year period. We expect to achieve benefits in the form of both increased customer engagement and operating efficiencies. Costs related to the Adenza restructuring and the divisional alignment programs will be recorded as “restructuring charges” in our consolidated statements of income. We will exclude charges associated with this program for purposes of calculating non-GAAP measures as they are not reflective of ongoing operating performance or comparisons in Nasdaq's performance between periods.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information set forth in this communication contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Nasdaq cautions readers that any forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to (i) projections relating to our future financial results, total shareholder returns, growth, dividend program, trading volumes, products and services, ability to transition to new business models or implement our new corporate structure, taxes and achievement of synergy targets, (ii) statements about the closing or implementation dates and benefits of certain acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic, restructuring, technology, environmental, de-leveraging and capital allocation initiatives, (iii) statements about our integrations of our recent acquisitions, (iv) statements relating to any litigation or regulatory or government investigation or action to which we are or could become a party, and (v) other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond Nasdaq’s control. These factors include, but are not limited to, Nasdaq’s ability to implement its strategic initiatives, economic, political and market conditions and fluctuations, geopolitical instability, government and industry regulation, interest rate risk, U.S. and global competition. Further information on these and other factors are detailed in Nasdaq’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, which are available on Nasdaq’s investor relations website at http://ir.nasdaq.com and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Nasdaq undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

WEBSITE DISCLOSURE

Nasdaq intends to use its website, ir.nasdaq.com, as a means for disclosing material non-public information and for complying with SEC Regulation FD and other disclosure obligations.

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