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

Shares of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $178.80.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on ICE. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays upped their price target on Intercontinental Exchange from $179.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $190.00 to $189.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th.

Intercontinental Exchange Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock opened at $174.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.08. Intercontinental Exchange has a 52-week low of $124.34 and a 52-week high of $175.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $164.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.09.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.01). Intercontinental Exchange had a net margin of 23.42% and a return on equity of 12.95%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.73 EPS for the current year.

Intercontinental Exchange Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. Intercontinental Exchange’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Insider Transactions at Intercontinental Exchange

In other Intercontinental Exchange news, President Benjamin Jackson sold 17,104 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.62, for a total value of $2,849,868.48. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 155,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,855,091.88. The trade was a 9.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Christopher Scott Edmonds sold 601 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.73, for a total value of $88,785.73. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,908,967.06. This trade represents a 4.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 66,563 shares of company stock worth $10,998,990. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. REAP Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 116.7% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Intercontinental Exchange during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 89.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Intercontinental Exchange

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.