Howard Capital Management Inc. Purchases 180 Shares of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE)

Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,511 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Intercontinental Exchange were worth $523,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 106.1% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 169 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Intercontinental Exchange during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Planning Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in Intercontinental Exchange by 96.7% during the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 299 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ICE shares. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Intercontinental Exchange from $190.00 to $189.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price target on Intercontinental Exchange from $178.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised Intercontinental Exchange from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock 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, insider Christopher Scott Edmonds sold 6,834 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $166.99, for a total value of $1,141,209.66. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 17,972 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,001,144.28. This represents a 27.55 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Andrew J. Surdykowski sold 955 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.08, for a total value of $149,056.40. Following the sale, the general counsel now owns 44,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,977,088.16. This trade represents a 2.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 60,368 shares of company stock valued at $9,908,492. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Intercontinental Exchange Trading Up 0.4 %

Intercontinental Exchange stock opened at $168.49 on Tuesday. Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. has a 1 year low of $124.34 and a 1 year high of $169.89. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $155.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $96.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.25, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.11.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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, equities analysts predict that Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. will post 6.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Intercontinental Exchange Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be given 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 dividend yield of 1.14%. Intercontinental Exchange’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.