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

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

ICE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays set a $193.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down previously from $202.00) on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $194.60.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $96.43 billion, a PE ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $166.51. Intercontinental Exchange has a fifty-two week low of $143.17 and a fifty-two week high of $189.35.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.51 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a return on equity of 13.99% and a net margin of 26.23%.Intercontinental Exchange’s revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Intercontinental Exchange

In other news, Director Judith A. Sprieser sold 3,700 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.96, for a total value of $584,452.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 14,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,285,523.24. This trade represents a 20.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey C. Sprecher sold 150,000 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $275,805,001.40. This trade represents a 7.69% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 166,068 shares of company stock worth $25,470,702. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ICE. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Steph & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 104.7% during the 4th quarter. Steph & Co. now owns 174 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 89.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Intercontinental Exchange News

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

About Intercontinental Exchange

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.