NDAQ vs SPGI vs VIRT Stock Comparison

Nasdaq, S&P Global and Virtu Financial Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.
$102.56 +7.5% 1M +15.5% 1Y
Market cap
$58.54B
P/E
28.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.15B
Div. yield
–
Exchanges Financial Services
1 win
SPGI S&P Global Inc.
$450.20 +10.7% 1M -6.7% 1Y
Market cap
$132.84B
P/E
27.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.12B
Div. yield
0.01%
Financial Data and Analytics Financial Services
2 wins
VIRT Virtu Financial, Inc.
$55.95 +5.6% 1M +67.2% 1Y
Market cap
$4.90B
P/E
8.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$4.08B
Div. yield
–
Institutional Trading Financial Services
8 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Virtu Financial leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Virtu Financial 8, S&P Global 2, Nasdaq 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionNDAQSPGIVIRTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $58.54B $132.84B $4.90B SPGI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 28.1x 27.0x 8.9x VIRT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 25.6x 23.9x 8.3x VIRT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +11.5% +9.7% +20.8% VIRT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 22.8% 30.5% 13.5% SPGI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.5% 12.1% 39.4% VIRT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.4x 1.3x 0.6x VIRT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +15.5% -6.7% +67.2% VIRT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +8.8%/yr 0.0%/yr +16.2%/yr VIRT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.4% 30.9% 37.4% NDAQ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 56/100 58/100 63/100 VIRT

Percentile Scorecard

NDAQSPGIVIRT

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisNDAQSPGIVIRT
Valuation 43 #56 of 97 24 #722 of 945 89 #12 of 97
Growth 46 #38 of 69 68 #261 of 822 62 #27 of 69
Profitability 80 #15 of 70 89 #95 of 835 77 #17 of 70
Financial Health 48 #53 of 101 67 #298 of 905 33 #68 of 101
Shareholder Returns 62 #16 of 40 43 #411 of 726 54 #19 of 40
Overall 56 58 63
  • NDAQ ranked among 112 companies in Capital Markets
  • SPGI ranked among 1,011 companies in Financial Services
  • VIRT ranked among 112 companies in Capital Markets

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodNDAQSPGIVIRTSPY
1 month +7.5%+10.7%+5.6% -1.0%
3 months +11.4%+5.6%-6.4% +2.9%
6 months +14.1%+3.1%+15.3% +6.4%
Year to date +5.6%-13.9%+67.9% +11.4%
1 year +15.5%-6.7%+67.2% +13.1%
3 years +107.4%+29.4%+204.7% +79.4%
3 years, per year +27.5%+9.0%+45.0% +21.5%
5 years +52.5%-0.1%+111.5% +67.7%
5 years, per year +8.8%0.0%+16.2% +10.9%
10 years +364.9%+263.1%+312.9% +255.2%
10 years, per year +16.6%+13.8%+15.2% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureNDAQSPGIVIRTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.4%30.9%37.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 29.9%35.5%36.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.560.340.44 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.54-0.221.80 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -33.4%-40.2%-57.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -0.7%-17.6%-17.6% -2.5%
52-week high $103.30$546.35$67.93 $779.14
52-week low $76.85$386.35$32.53 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleNDAQSPGIVIRT
P/E now vs peer median 27.5xmedian 29.4x 27.0xmedian 13.4x 8.9xmedian 29.4x
P/S now vs peer median 6.3xmedian 2.8x 8.2xmedian 3.2x 2.1xmedian 2.8x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 19.3xmedian 12.8x 17.2xmedian 5.9x 4.4xmedian 12.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 25.4xmedian 15.9x 23.8xmedian 11.1x 16.7xmedian 15.9x
P/B now vs peer median 4.8xmedian 2.5x 4.2xmedian 1.2x 3.7xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 1.50median 0.51 0.86median 0.89 0.15median 0.51

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsNDAQSPGIVIRT
Revenue $9.15B $16.12B $4.08B
Gross profit $5.78B $11.43B –
Operating income $2.73B $7.16B –
Net income $2.08B $5.32B $1.06B
Free cash flow $2.26B $5.57B $521.11M
EPS (diluted) $3.70 $16.66 $6.29
Cash & equivalents $365.00M $4.13B $1.07B
Total debt $8.74B $15.17B $2.38B
Shares (diluted) 563.31M 295.50M 87.60M
Enterprise value $55.98B $123.43B $1.09B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricNDAQSPGIVIRT
P/E 27.5x 27.0x 8.9x
P/FCF 25.4x 23.8x 16.7x
P/Operating cash flow 22.5x 23.2x 15.6x
P/S 6.3x 8.2x 2.1x
P/B 4.8x 4.2x 3.7x
P/Tangible book 9.7x 8.3x 4.0x
EV/EBITDA 19.3x 17.2x 4.4x
EV/EBIT 24.0x 20.1x 4.6x
EV/Revenue 7.2x 8.9x 2.4x
EV/FCF 29.0x 25.8x 19.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.7x 25.1x 17.9x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 1.50 0.86 0.15

Growth

14 metrics
MetricNDAQSPGIVIRT
Revenue growth (1Y) 11.5% 9.7% 20.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 15.1% 10.2% 23.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 13.7% 11.5% –
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 16.2% 12.9% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 23.1% 22.0% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 20.1% 25.5% –
Net income growth (1Y) 28.2% 22.3% 36.4%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 23.6% 26.8% 60.0%
EPS growth (1Y) 31.8% 27.1% 32.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 18.3% 31.4% 61.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 9.0% 2.6% -4.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.8% 20.3% -3.6%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.6% 3.0% -7.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.6% 20.5% -3.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricNDAQSPGIVIRT
Gross margin 63.2% 70.9% –
EBITDA margin 37.0% 51.9% 55.7%
Operating margin 29.8% 44.4% –
Pretax margin 28.5% 42.6% 31.3%
Net margin 22.8% 30.5% 13.5%
FCF margin 24.7% 34.6% 12.8%
Operating cash flow margin 27.8% 35.5% 13.7%
Return on equity 17.4% 16.9% 46.9%
Return on assets 7.6% 8.6% 4.0%
Return on invested capital 10.5% 12.1% 39.4%
Return on capital employed 12.0% 13.6% –
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.3x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.2x 1.1x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue 1.9% 1.5% 3.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricNDAQSPGIVIRT
Debt / assets 31.9% 24.1% 8.7%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.5x 1.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.4x 1.3x 0.6x
Debt / FCF 3.9x 2.7x 4.6x
Liabilities / assets 56.2% 49.7% 91.5%
Equity / assets 43.8% 50.3% 8.5%
Interest coverage 7.9x 22.7x 2.5x
Current ratio 1.0x 1.0x –
Quick ratio 0.4x 0.8x –
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.5x –
Altman Z-score 3.44 3.74 –

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricNDAQSPGIVIRT
Dividend yield 1.1% 0.9% 1.7%
Net buyback yield 2.6% 3.5% 1.0%
Shareholder yield 3.7% 4.4% 2.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 21.7% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 20.7% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 0.4% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 0.8% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusNDAQSPGIVIRT
Forward P/E 25.6xFY2026 23.9xFY2026 8.3xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.01FY2026 $18.87FY2026 $6.78FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +15.2%FY2026 +11.9%FY2026 +18.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +10.7% +12.9% +7.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.07BFY2026 $15.46BFY2026 $2.88BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.7%FY2026 +0.8%FY2026 +34.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +13.2% +6.6% +4.4%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersNDAQSPGIVIRT
Held by institutions 83.8% 87.5% 52.9%
Institutions holding 1,082 2,001 472
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.0% +1.6% +6.7%
Institutions buying 538 871 282
Institutions selling 397 876 142
Buyers to sellers 1.36 0.99 1.99

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

NDAQSPGIVIRT
NDAQ 1.00 0.66 0.24
SPGI 0.66 1.00 0.16
VIRT 0.24 0.16 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, NDAQ, SPGI and VIRT?

S&P Global (SPGI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Nasdaq (NDAQ) $58.54B, S&P Global (SPGI) $132.84B, Virtu Financial (VIRT) $4.90B.

Which stock is cheaper, NDAQ, SPGI and VIRT?

Virtu Financial (VIRT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Nasdaq (NDAQ) 28.1x, S&P Global (SPGI) 27.0x, Virtu Financial (VIRT) 8.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Virtu Financial (VIRT) is cheapest (Nasdaq (NDAQ) 25.6x, S&P Global (SPGI) 23.9x, Virtu Financial (VIRT) 8.3x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Virtu Financial (VIRT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Nasdaq (NDAQ) +11.5%, S&P Global (SPGI) +9.7%, Virtu Financial (VIRT) +20.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

S&P Global (SPGI) has the highest net margin (Nasdaq (NDAQ) 22.8%, S&P Global (SPGI) 30.5%, Virtu Financial (VIRT) 13.5%). On return on invested capital, Virtu Financial (VIRT) leads (Nasdaq (NDAQ) 10.5%, S&P Global (SPGI) 12.1%, Virtu Financial (VIRT) 39.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Virtu Financial (VIRT) returned the most: Nasdaq (NDAQ) +15.5%, S&P Global (SPGI) -6.7%, Virtu Financial (VIRT) +67.2%. Over five years, Virtu Financial (VIRT) compounded fastest (Nasdaq (NDAQ) +8.8%/yr, S&P Global (SPGI) 0.0%/yr, Virtu Financial (VIRT) +16.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Nasdaq (NDAQ) 0.00%, S&P Global (SPGI) 0.01%, Virtu Financial (VIRT) 0.00%. Nasdaq (NDAQ) and Virtu Financial (VIRT) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Nasdaq (NDAQ) has been the steadiest (Nasdaq (NDAQ) 28.4%, S&P Global (SPGI) 30.9%, Virtu Financial (VIRT) 37.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, NDAQ, SPGI and VIRT?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Virtu Financial (VIRT) leads on 8. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.