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

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on ICE. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays set a $193.00 target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $202.00 to $180.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Intercontinental Exchange has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $194.60.

Intercontinental Exchange Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE ICE opened at $169.12 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $165.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $166.51. Intercontinental Exchange has a 52-week low of $143.17 and a 52-week high of $189.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.31, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.02.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Intercontinental Exchange

In other news, SVP Douglas Foley sold 1,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.20, for a total value of $261,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 24,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,948,787.20. This represents a 6.20% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey C. Sprecher sold 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.08, for a total transaction of $22,962,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,801,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $275,805,001.40. This trade represents a 7.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 166,068 shares of company stock worth $25,470,702 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Intercontinental Exchange

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 54,153,170 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $8,770,647,000 after buying an additional 413,639 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,816,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $4,181,125,000 after acquiring an additional 194,325 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,438,154 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,270,657,000 after purchasing an additional 145,961 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 64.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,354,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,744,480,000 after purchasing an additional 4,067,922 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,542,780,000. Institutional investors own 89.30% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Intercontinental Exchange

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.