BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Increases Stake in Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE - Free Report) by 541.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 115,498 shares of the financial services provider's stock after buying an additional 97,481 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Intercontinental Exchange were worth $17,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. bought a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. 89.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on ICE shares. UBS Group boosted their target price 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. StockNews.com raised shares of Intercontinental Exchange from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Bank of America lowered their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $237.00 to $230.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $182.47.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Performance

ICE stock traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $160.99. 2,876,118 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,932,862. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.49 billion, a PE ratio of 33.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $166.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $160.41. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has a 52 week low of $124.34 and a 52 week high of $177.45. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 23.42% and a return on equity of 12.95%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. will post 6.73 EPS for the current year.

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. Intercontinental Exchange's payout ratio is 40.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Judith A. Sprieser sold 2,630 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.00, for a total value of $418,170.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,396,876. The trade was a 10.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Lynn C. Martin sold 4,155 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.60, for a total value of $688,068.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 57,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,501,465.60. This trade represents a 6.75 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 62,931 shares of company stock worth $10,492,868 in the last three months. 1.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.