Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) Short Interest Update

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,470,000 shares, a drop of 14.3% from the January 15th total of 6,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,060,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE ICE traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $166.68. The stock had a trading volume of 673,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,923,778. Intercontinental Exchange has a 1 year low of $124.34 and a 1 year high of $169.78. The stock has a market cap of $95.77 billion, a PE ratio of 34.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $154.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.52 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Intercontinental Exchange will post 6.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Intercontinental Exchange Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. Intercontinental Exchange's payout ratio is currently 37.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on ICE. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $179.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $160.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $178.80.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Mayur Kapani sold 5,661 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.59, for a total value of $835,506.99. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 66,548 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,821,819.32. This trade represents a 7.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Stuart Glen Williams sold 750 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.99, for a total value of $114,742.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,780 shares in the company, valued at $1,955,212.20. The trade was a 5.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 34,358 shares of company stock valued at $5,535,650. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vise Technologies Inc. grew its position in Intercontinental Exchange by 71.8% in the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 7,389 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $1,101,000 after purchasing an additional 3,087 shares during the period. City National Bank of Florida MSD bought a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter worth approximately $207,000. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. grew its position in Intercontinental Exchange by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Inspire Trust Co. N.A. now owns 15,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $2,235,000 after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the period. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Intercontinental Exchange by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,379 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp grew its position in Intercontinental Exchange by 14.9% in the 4th quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 109,939 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $16,382,000 after purchasing an additional 14,236 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.30% of the company's stock.

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.