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

Shares of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $188.46.

A number of brokerages have commented on ICE. Barclays increased their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $189.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Intercontinental Exchange from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $237.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd.

Intercontinental Exchange Price Performance

NYSE ICE traded down $0.64 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $178.49. 2,438,359 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,015,681. The stock has a market cap of $102.38 billion, a PE ratio of 37.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.12. Intercontinental Exchange has a one year low of $132.93 and a one year high of $180.89. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $168.33 and a 200-day moving average of $163.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.44 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 23.42%. Intercontinental Exchange's revenue for the quarter was up 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.08%. Intercontinental Exchange's payout ratio is 39.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intercontinental Exchange

In other Intercontinental Exchange news, Director Martha A. Tirinnanzi sold 397 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.11, for a total value of $70,312.67. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,526 shares in the company, valued at $801,599.86. This represents a 8.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO James W. Namkung sold 612 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.00, for a total value of $110,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 13,220 shares in the company, valued at $2,379,600. This represents a 4.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,191 shares of company stock valued at $694,978. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ICE. Tsfg LLC increased its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 187.3% during the 1st quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 158 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 4,050.0% in the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 166 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 595.8% in the 1st quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 167 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 116.7% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Institutional investors own 89.30% of the company's stock.

Intercontinental Exchange Company Profile

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.