Brokerages Set Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) Price Target at $175.27

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $175.27.

A number of research analysts recently commented on ICE shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Intercontinental Exchange from $183.00 to $178.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com cut Intercontinental Exchange from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays cut their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $187.00 to $179.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th.

Intercontinental Exchange Trading Up 4.1 %

Shares of ICE opened at $167.37 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $96.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.11. Intercontinental Exchange has a one year low of $124.34 and a one year high of $169.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a current ratio of 1.00. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $153.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $156.74.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last issued 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 21.31% and a return on equity of 12.75%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.48 dividend. This is a boost from Intercontinental Exchange’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. Intercontinental Exchange’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.65%.

Insider Activity at Intercontinental Exchange

In related news, insider Christopher Scott Edmonds sold 601 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $1,908,967.06. This trade represents a 4.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Mayur Kapani sold 5,661 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.59, for a total value of $835,506.99. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 66,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,821,819.32. The trade was a 7.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 13,795 shares of company stock worth $2,120,572 in the last three months. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. boosted its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. now owns 511 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 26.4% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 302 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC boosted its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,714 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 1,349 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commons Capital LLC boosted its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Commons Capital LLC now owns 5,949 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $886,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 89.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.