Contrasting Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) and StoneX Group (NASDAQ:SNEX)

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) and StoneX Group (NASDAQ:SNEX) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

89.3% of Intercontinental Exchange shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.9% of StoneX Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.8% of Intercontinental Exchange shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 11.8% of StoneX Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility and Risk

Intercontinental Exchange has a beta of 0.84, indicating that its share price is 16% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, StoneX Group has a beta of 0.66, indicating that its share price is 34% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Intercontinental Exchange and StoneX Group’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Intercontinental Exchange	29.62%	15.32%	2.71%
StoneX Group	0.33%	20.18%	1.05%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Intercontinental Exchange and StoneX Group”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Intercontinental Exchange	$14.05 billion	7.18	$3.31 billion	$7.33	24.62
StoneX Group	$157.71 billion	0.04	$305.90 million	$4.19	13.85

Intercontinental Exchange has higher earnings, but lower revenue than StoneX Group. StoneX Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Intercontinental Exchange, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Intercontinental Exchange and StoneX Group, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Intercontinental Exchange	1	3	12	1	2.76
StoneX Group	0	3	1	0	2.25

Intercontinental Exchange presently has a consensus price target of $189.25, indicating a potential upside of 4.88%. StoneX Group has a consensus price target of $112.00, indicating a potential upside of 92.94%. Given StoneX Group’s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe StoneX Group is more favorable than Intercontinental Exchange.

Summary

Intercontinental Exchange beats StoneX Group on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE: ICE) operates exchanges, clearing houses and technology businesses serving financial and commodity markets. Its platforms support the trading and clearing of futures, options and other products across areas such as energy, agriculture, interest rates and equities. The company also provides market data, analytics and connectivity services to financial institutions and other market participants. Intercontinental Exchange owns the New York Stock Exchange and operates exchanges and clearing houses in multiple markets around the world.

About StoneX Group

StoneX Group Inc. is a global financial services company that connects businesses, institutions and individual investors with markets. Its services include trade execution and clearing, risk management, market intelligence, and financing for participants in commodity and financial markets. The company serves commercial and institutional clients across sectors such as agriculture, energy and metals, and offers foreign exchange, securities and other trading services. Its retail business provides online trading platforms, while its payments operations support domestic and cross-border transactions.