Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $185.93.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $181.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. StockNews.com raised Intercontinental Exchange from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $189.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, May 2nd.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE:ICE opened at $176.10 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.01 billion, a PE ratio of 36.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.12. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $167.31 and a 200-day moving average of $161.23. Intercontinental Exchange has a 52 week low of $131.79 and a 52 week high of $179.44. 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) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $1.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.70 by $0.02. Intercontinental Exchange had a return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 23.42%. The company had revenue of $2.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.73 EPS for the current year.

Intercontinental Exchange Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. Intercontinental Exchange’s payout ratio is currently 39.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intercontinental Exchange

In other news, Director Judith A. Sprieser sold 2,630 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total transaction of $418,170.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 21,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,396,876. This represents a 10.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, President Benjamin Jackson sold 7,900 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.36, for a total value of $1,314,244.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 160,059 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,627,415.24. This trade represents a 4.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 42,368 shares of company stock valued at $7,077,789. 1.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,647,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 6.9% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 73,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,022,000 after acquiring an additional 4,787 shares during the last quarter. Governors Lane LP lifted its position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 88.0% during the 4th quarter. Governors Lane LP now owns 127,100 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,939,000 after acquiring an additional 59,500 shares during the last quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter valued at $702,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 728,133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $108,515,000 after acquiring an additional 61,110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.