Brokerages Set Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) Target Price at $178.80

Shares of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $178.80.

Several brokerages have weighed in on ICE. Barclays increased their price target on Intercontinental Exchange from $179.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $190.00 to $189.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group raised their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

Insider Transactions at Intercontinental Exchange

In related news, insider Christopher Scott Edmonds sold 601 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.73, for a total value of $88,785.73. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,922 shares in the company, valued at $1,908,967.06. This trade represents a 4.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, General Counsel Andrew J. Surdykowski sold 955 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.08, for a total transaction of $149,056.40. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 44,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,977,088.16. The trade was a 2.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 68,268 shares of company stock worth $11,262,789. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ICE. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 106.1% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 116.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 89.30% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Performance

Shares of ICE stock opened at $173.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The business has a fifty day moving average of $157.41 and a 200 day moving average of $158.79. Intercontinental Exchange has a 1 year low of $124.34 and a 1 year high of $173.54.

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

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. Intercontinental Exchange’s payout ratio is 40.17%.

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.