NDAQ - Hot Stocks: NDAQ ISRG fall on earnings news; SHOP raises prices; NWS climbs

Earnings news remained a key driver of individual stocks during Wednesday's midday trading. This included both Nasdaq ( NASDAQ: NDAQ ) and Intuitive Surgical ( ISRG ), which both dropped following their respective quarterly reports.

In non-earnings news, Shopify ( SHOP ) gained ground after announcing price increases. Meanwhile, News Corp. ( NWS ) ( NWSA ) climbed after ditching a proposal to re-merge with Fox Corp. ( FOX ) ( FOXA ).

Decliners

Nasdaq ( NDAQ ) dropped following the release of its latest quarterly results . Shares of the stock exchange declined more than 6% after its Q4 profit came in below the amount predicted by analysts.

NDAQ also reported disappointing revenue, which rose about 2% from last year to reach $906M. Operating expenses climbed more than expected, rising to $460M.

Earnings news also sparked selling in Intuitive Surgical ( ISRG ). The maker of robotic surgical products revealed net income that fell 12% from last year, hurt by rising operating expenses. The EPS figure missed analysts' expectations.

Gainers

Shopify ( SHOP ) rallied after announcing some pricing increases , sending the stock higher by more than 9% in intraday action. The e-commerce platform said it was increasing the prices for basic, mid-range, and advanced services. For the basic plan, the price is being raised from $29 to $39.

"The price we charge for access to the best tools in commerce has remained largely unchanged for the last 12 years," COO Kaz Nejatian wrote in a blog post. "Today, after much deliberation, we're announcing a change in favor of better serving our mission and our merchants."

News Corp. ( NWS ) ( NWSA ) also showed midday strength after company founder Rupert Murdoch scuttled his plan to re-merge NWS with Fox Corp. ( FOX ) ( FOXA ). Shares climbed about 5% on the news.

In a letter to the News Corp. board, Murdoch said "a combination is not optimal for shareholders of News Corp and Fox at this time."

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