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

Shares of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $178.80.

ICE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Intercontinental Exchange from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Intercontinental Exchange from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $190.00 to $189.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group upped 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, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $179.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Performance

Intercontinental Exchange stock opened at $175.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.08. Intercontinental Exchange has a one year low of $124.34 and a one year high of $176.16. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $164.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $160.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last posted its 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 return on equity of 12.95% and a net margin of 23.42%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be given 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 1.10%. Intercontinental Exchange’s payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christopher Scott Edmonds sold 601 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.73, for a total transaction of $88,785.73. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 12,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,908,967.06. This represents a 4.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Benjamin Jackson sold 7,900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.43, for a total value of $1,354,297.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 147,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,247,181.82. This represents a 5.09 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 66,563 shares of company stock valued at $10,998,990. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. REAP Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 116.7% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the fourth quarter valued at 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.