Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (NYSE:ICE) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (NYSE:ICE - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $188.46.

Several research analysts have recently commented on ICE shares. Bank of America reduced their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $237.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $189.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $181.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of ICE stock opened at $181.74 on Monday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $174.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $165.68. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Intercontinental Exchange has a 1 year low of $136.25 and a 1 year high of $182.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.63, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.12.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.44 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a net margin of 22.84% and a return on equity of 13.27%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.48 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.06%. Intercontinental Exchange's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Judith A. Sprieser sold 2,630 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $418,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,396,876. The trade was a 10.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Martha A. Tirinnanzi sold 397 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $177.11, for a total transaction of $70,312.67. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 4,526 shares of the company's stock, valued at $801,599.86. The trade was a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 227,954 shares of company stock worth $40,796,663 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of ICE. AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs bought a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 1st quarter worth $3,835,000. Voya Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 12.4% during the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 1,917,983 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $330,602,000 after acquiring an additional 211,555 shares in the last quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 0.6% in the first quarter. Howe & Rusling Inc. now owns 110,604 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $19,079,000 after acquiring an additional 669 shares during the last quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD lifted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 5.3% in the first quarter. Guinness Asset Management LTD now owns 287,735 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $49,643,000 after acquiring an additional 14,436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 17.7% in the 1st quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 2,663 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.30% of the company's stock.

About Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of market infrastructure, data services, and technology solutions for financial institutions, corporations, and government entities in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Singapore, India, Abu Dhabi, Israel, and Canada.

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