National Pension Service Cuts Stake in Intercontinental Exchange Inc. $ICE

Key Points

• National Pension Service cut its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 17% in the fourth quarter, selling 235,975 shares and leaving it with 1,153,586 shares valued at about $186.8 million. Even so, institutional investors still own a large majority of the stock.
• Intercontinental Exchange reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.35 versus the $2.23 consensus and revenue of $3.67 billion, up 20.4% year over year. Analysts now expect the company to earn 8.15 EPS for the full year.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including the CTO and CFO, and recent filings show additional insider sales totaling $1.85 million last quarter. Despite that, analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $194.60.

National Pension Service reduced its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (NYSE:ICE - Free Report) by 17.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,153,586 shares of the financial services provider's stock after selling 235,975 shares during the period. National Pension Service owned 0.20% of Intercontinental Exchange worth $186,835,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth about $229,000. Linscomb Wealth Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 14,692 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,379,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341 shares during the period. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 19.6% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 27,514 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $4,456,000 after acquiring an additional 4,514 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 76,622 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $12,410,000 after acquiring an additional 11,764 shares during the period. Finally, IFG Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 21,189 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $3,432,000 after acquiring an additional 1,135 shares during the period. 89.30% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Down 0.3%

ICE opened at $147.85 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $157.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.07. The company has a market cap of $83.61 billion, a PE ratio of 21.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.96. Intercontinental Exchange Inc. has a 1 year low of $143.17 and a 1 year high of $189.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.88 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a net margin of 30.06% and a return on equity of 14.99%. The company's revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.72 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Intercontinental Exchange Inc. will post 8.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intercontinental Exchange

In other Intercontinental Exchange news, CTO Mayur Kapani sold 4,271 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.42, for a total value of $663,798.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 64,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,081,939.98. This trade represents a 6.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Warren Gardiner sold 2,490 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.64, for a total transaction of $390,033.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 25,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,945,604.96. This trade represents a 9.00% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 12,001 shares of company stock worth $1,847,820 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Intercontinental Exchange News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Jeffrey Sprecher’s comments about pursuing 24/7 on-chain perps and exploring ties with Hyperliquid suggest ICE could expand into a fast-growing crypto trading niche. Article: NYSE parent ICE pushes ‘level playing field’ for 24/7 onchain perps
• Positive Sentiment: ICE said natural gas and power open interest hit record levels in May, pointing to strong trading volumes and healthy demand on its exchanges. Article: Open interest in natural gas and power on ICE hits record in May
• Neutral Sentiment: ICE’s CEO also highlighted exploratory discussions with Hyperliquid, reinforcing the company’s interest in crypto-market infrastructure but without any finalized deal or launch yet. Article: Intercontinental Exchange Owner Says This 11-Person Crypto Team Is Bigger Than Nasdaq
• Negative Sentiment: General Counsel Andrew Surdykowski sold 4,573 shares, adding to near-term concern around insider confidence. Article: Intercontinental Exchange General Counsel Andrew Surdykowski Sells 4,573 Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Director Sharon Bowen also sold shares recently, which may reinforce the cautious tone around the stock. Article: Intercontinental Exchange Director Sharon Bowen Sells 667 Shares

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Intercontinental Exchange from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $188.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Intercontinental Exchange from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $211.00 target price (up from $195.00) on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods assumed coverage on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $190.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $194.60.

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.

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