Essential Planning LLC. Acquires New Position in Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE)

Essential Planning LLC. acquired a new stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 1,495 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $237,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in ICE. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Planning Capital Management Corp lifted its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 96.7% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. 89.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Intercontinental Exchange

In other Intercontinental Exchange news, CTO Mayur Kapani sold 5,661 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.59, for a total value of $835,506.99. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 66,548 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,821,819.32. This represents a 7.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Stuart Glen Williams sold 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.99, for a total value of $114,742.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 12,780 shares in the company, valued at $1,955,212.20. This trade represents a 5.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 67,313 shares of company stock valued at $11,113,733 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Intercontinental Exchange Stock Performance

NYSE:ICE opened at $169.06 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $161.04 and its 200 day moving average is $159.57. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $124.34 and a fifty-two week high of $175.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.13 billion, a PE ratio of 35.37, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.08. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The financial services provider reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. will post 6.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Intercontinental Exchange Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 16th. Intercontinental Exchange’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on ICE. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on 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 reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $200.00 price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Intercontinental Exchange from $190.00 to $189.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. StockNews.com raised Intercontinental Exchange from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Intercontinental Exchange from $179.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.80.

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.