ING Groep NV Buys Shares of 25,950 Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE)

ING Groep NV purchased a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 25,950 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $3,867,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 35,151 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $5,647,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 73,970 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $11,022,000 after buying an additional 4,787 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 46,689 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,500,000 after acquiring an additional 11,648 shares during the last quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter worth $702,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 728,133 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $108,515,000 after acquiring an additional 61,110 shares during the last quarter. 89.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Christopher Scott Edmonds sold 6,834 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.99, for a total transaction of $1,141,209.66. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 17,972 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,001,144.28. This represents a 27.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, President Benjamin Jackson sold 17,104 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.62, for a total value of $2,849,868.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 155,174 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,855,091.88. This represents a 9.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 66,196 shares of company stock worth $10,840,972. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on ICE shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $179.00 to $189.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Intercontinental Exchange from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $178.80.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE ICE opened at $168.04 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $96.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.11. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has a 52-week low of $124.34 and a 52-week high of $169.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $155.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.18.

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 the consensus estimate 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, analysts anticipate that Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. will post 6.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. Intercontinental Exchange’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.66%.

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.