ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Boosts Holdings in Intercontinental Exchange Inc. $ICE

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. boosted its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 23.9% in Q4, owning 227,412 shares after buying an additional 43,870 shares, valued at about $36.83 million.
• ICE beat expectations in its most recent quarter with EPS $2.35 vs. $2.23 est. and revenue of $3.67 billion (up 20.4% year‑over‑year), and analysts hold a consensus Buy rating with a $194.10 target.
• Insiders have been net sellers—343,696 shares (~$53.4 million) sold over the past 90 days—while institutional ownership remains high at 89.30% and insider ownership is 0.84%.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. increased its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (NYSE:ICE - Free Report) by 23.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 227,412 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 43,870 shares during the quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Intercontinental Exchange were worth $36,832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ICE. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Steph & Co. raised its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 174 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Dorato Capital Management bought a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 89.30% of the company's stock.

Intercontinental Exchange Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of ICE opened at $156.05 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 1.01. Intercontinental Exchange Inc. has a 1 year low of $143.17 and a 1 year high of $189.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $160.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $160.01. The firm has a market cap of $88.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.96.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $2.35 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.12. Intercontinental Exchange had a net margin of 30.06% and a return on equity of 14.99%. The firm had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.88 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.72 earnings per share. Intercontinental Exchange's revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Intercontinental Exchange Inc. will post 8.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on ICE shares. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $201.00 target price (up from $198.00) on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Intercontinental Exchange from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Friday, February 6th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods started coverage on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 price objective for the company. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $194.10.

Insider Transactions at Intercontinental Exchange

In other news, President Benjamin Jackson sold 3,865 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.73, for a total value of $594,166.45. Following the sale, the president directly owned 165,304 shares in the company, valued at $25,412,183.92. The trade was a 2.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Warren Gardiner sold 2,490 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.00, for a total transaction of $383,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 27,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,262,566. This trade represents a 8.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 343,696 shares of company stock worth $53,397,715. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Intercontinental Exchange 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.

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