Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on ICE. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Barclays set a $193.00 target price on Intercontinental Exchange and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Intercontinental Exchange presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $194.60.

Intercontinental Exchange Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock opened at $169.12 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Intercontinental Exchange has a twelve month low of $143.17 and a twelve month high of $189.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.43 billion, a PE ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.02. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $165.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $166.41.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.51 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 26.23%.The business’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 16th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 16th. Intercontinental Exchange’s payout ratio is presently 34.97%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Intercontinental Exchange news, CEO Jeffrey C. Sprecher sold 150,000 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.08, for a total value of $22,962,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,801,705 shares in the company, valued at $275,805,001.40. The trade was a 7.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CTO Mayur Kapani sold 5,345 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.67, for a total value of $837,401.15. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 65,240 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,221,150.80. This represents a 7.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 166,068 shares of company stock valued at $25,470,702 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Optivise Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Optivise Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,794 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $329,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. ICONIQ Capital LLC grew its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 2.2% during the second quarter. ICONIQ Capital LLC now owns 2,621 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $481,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 5.0% during the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,207 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $221,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Mechanics Financial Corp increased its position in Intercontinental Exchange by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Mechanics Financial Corp now owns 6,138 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $994,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ledyard National Bank raised its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 4.3% in the second quarter. Ledyard National Bank now owns 1,512 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $277,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.30% of the company’s stock.

Intercontinental Exchange News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Intercontinental Exchange this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings and revenue beat — ICE reported adjusted EPS of $1.71 (vs. ~$1.67 est.) and revenue of $3.14B, with record revenues and operating income, supporting upside to near-term earnings expectations. ICE Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increased — Board approved an 8% raise to the quarterly dividend ($0.52/share), signaling confidence in cash flow and returning capital to shareholders. Dividend Increase Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Record energy-market volumes — ICE said January saw record hedging/trading activity in its Midland WTI (HOU) and Canadian crude markets as participants manage shifting oil flows, which boosts exchange volumes and fee revenue. Record Oil Market Activity
• Positive Sentiment: Mortgage-technology strength — ICE reported its strongest mortgage revenue quarter in 3+ years and added UWM to its Mortgage Servicing Platform, supporting growth in recurring, non-trading revenue. ICE Mortgage Results
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings call tone and guidance items — Management highlighted a strong year and provided an expense guide that analysts interpreted as constructive for margins and free cash flow. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Sector outlook note — A Zacks industry piece names ICE among exchanges likely to benefit from higher volatility, crypto adoption and tech investments; positive tailwinds but industry-level rather than company-specific. Securities & Exchanges Stocks to Watch
• Neutral Sentiment: New listings on NYSE (e.g., Bob’s Discount Furniture IPO) are routine for the exchange business and modestly supportive of listings revenue over time. Bob’s Discount Furniture IPO

Intercontinental Exchange Company Profile

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) is a global operator of exchanges, clearing houses and data services that provides infrastructure for the trading, clearing, settlement and information needs of financial and commodity markets. Founded in 2000 by Jeffrey C. Sprecher as an electronic energy trading platform, the company has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to operate a broad portfolio of assets spanning listed equities, futures and options, fixed income, and over-the-counter derivatives.