Intercontinental Exchange Inc. $ICE Shares Acquired by Compass Capital Management Inc.

Compass Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (NYSE:ICE) by 5.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 382,602 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 21,116 shares during the quarter. Intercontinental Exchange comprises approximately 3.5% of Compass Capital Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Compass Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Intercontinental Exchange were worth $60,176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in ICE. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Steph & Co. grew its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 174 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Brooklands Fund Management Ltd purchased a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Dorato Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. 89.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on ICE. Raymond James Financial set a $208.00 target price on Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Monday, July 6th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (up from $190.00) on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $211.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $177.00 price objective (up from $159.00) on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $187.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Intercontinental Exchange currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.33.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Performance

Shares of ICE stock opened at $152.64 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $86.32 billion, a PE ratio of 21.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.94. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. Intercontinental Exchange Inc. has a 52-week low of $121.79 and a 52-week high of $189.35.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $3.61 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a return on equity of 14.95% and a net margin of 30.08%.The company’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.81 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Intercontinental Exchange Inc. will post 7.97 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Intercontinental Exchange

Here are the key news stories impacting Intercontinental Exchange this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ICE reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.90 per share, exceeding the $1.84 consensus estimate, while revenue reached approximately $2.7 billion, up 5% year over year. Growth in recurring data and mortgage technology helped offset weaker energy-related activity. ICE Q2 Earnings Beat on Data Growth and Mortgage Strength
• Positive Sentiment: The company returned $945 million to shareholders during the quarter, including $651 million in repurchases, and increased its authorized buyback capacity to $4 billion. ICE also raised its quarterly dividend 8% year over year to $0.52 per share. ICE Approves Third Quarter Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: The MarketAxess deal would expand ICE’s electronic fixed-income trading, market-data and distribution capabilities. Management is positioning the acquisition to benefit from the long-term shift from voice-based to electronic bond trading. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027. Rise of Bond E-Trading Underpins ICE’s MarketAxess Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketAxess shares surged roughly 30% after ICE offered a premium of about 33% to its unaffected price, highlighting the strategic value of the target but also making the transaction a significant capital commitment for ICE. NYSE Parent ICE to Purchase MarketAxess
• Negative Sentiment: Investors appear concerned that paying nearly $6 billion in cash could pressure near-term returns, increase execution and integration risk, and limit financial flexibility. The market’s initial reaction was cautious despite the earnings beat, with ICE shares underperforming broader equities.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Sharon Bowen sold 667 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.28, for a total transaction of $100,903.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,077 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,280,848.56. The trade was a 4.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, General Counsel Andrew J. Surdykowski sold 4,573 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.56, for a total transaction of $693,083.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel owned 45,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,891,887.88. This represents a 9.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 13,425 shares of company stock valued at $2,046,324 in the last three months. 0.84% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.