Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) Shares Bought by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) by 8.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,782,897 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 141,470 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Intercontinental Exchange were worth $265,669,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 1.1% during 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 grew its position 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 period. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 33.2% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 46,689 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $7,500,000 after buying an additional 11,648 shares in the last quarter. Avantra Family Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the fourth quarter worth about $702,000. Finally, Dixon Mitchell Investment Counsel Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $108,515,000 after acquiring an additional 61,110 shares during the period. 89.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Performance

NYSE ICE opened at $172.51 on Tuesday. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.34 and a fifty-two week high of $177.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $99.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $167.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $160.65. 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 announced 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. will post 6.73 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. Intercontinental Exchange’s payout ratio is presently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Intercontinental Exchange from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $190.00 to $189.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group upped their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays upped 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Intercontinental Exchange presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.80.

Insider Activity at Intercontinental Exchange

In other Intercontinental Exchange news, SVP Douglas Foley sold 10,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.47, for a total value of $1,761,252.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 21,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,661,008.24. This represents a 32.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, President Benjamin Jackson sold 7,900 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $171.43, for a total transaction of $1,354,297.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 147,274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,247,181.82. This represents a 5.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 66,563 shares of company stock worth $10,998,990. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.