Revenue Growth Driven by Operational Efficiency
Total revenue grew modestly by 2.0% YoY to $2.137B in Q1 2026, but the more impactful story is the dramatic 15.0% reduction in cost of revenue (from $859M to $730M), which expanded gross profit by 13.7% to $1.407B and pushed gross margin from ~59.0% to ~65.8%.
Operating Leverage Delivering Strong Profit Growth
Operating income rose 20.1% YoY to $657M, with operating margin expanding approximately 4.6 percentage points to 30.7%. This demonstrates meaningful operating leverage as Nasdaq scales its business while controlling costs.
Net Income and EPS Outperformance
Net income jumped 31.4% YoY to $519M, with diluted EPS increasing 33.8% to $0.91 from $0.68 in the prior-year period. The EPS growth rate outpacing net income growth reflects the impact of share buybacks reducing the share count.