Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for ICE Earnings

Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (NYSE:ICE) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q4 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report released on Wednesday, January 7th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the financial services provider will post earnings of $1.65 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.62. The consensus estimate for Intercontinental Exchange’s current full-year earnings is $6.73 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Intercontinental Exchange’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.96 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.79 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.02 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $7.93 EPS.

ICE has been the topic of a number of other reports. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $199.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised shares of Intercontinental Exchange to a “moderate buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and set a $211.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays set a $182.00 price objective on Intercontinental Exchange and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and ten have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.80.

Intercontinental Exchange Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of ICE stock opened at $161.89 on Friday. Intercontinental Exchange has a fifty-two week low of $142.29 and a fifty-two week high of $189.35. The stock has a market cap of $92.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $157.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 1.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.71. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.49 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a return on equity of 13.79% and a net margin of 25.24%.Intercontinental Exchange’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.55 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 1.4% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,685,491 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $9,849,677,000 after purchasing an additional 745,135 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 24,816,744 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,181,125,000 after buying an additional 194,325 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,438,154 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,270,657,000 after buying an additional 145,961 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 64.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 10,354,224 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,744,480,000 after buying an additional 4,067,922 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Intercontinental Exchange in the second quarter valued at $1,542,780,000. 89.30% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Intercontinental Exchange

In other news, CEO Jeffrey C. Sprecher sold 150,000 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.08, for a total value of $22,962,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,801,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $275,805,001.40. The trade was a 7.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Judith A. Sprieser sold 3,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.96, for a total value of $584,452.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 14,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,285,523.24. The trade was a 20.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 166,068 shares of company stock worth $25,470,702. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Key Intercontinental Exchange News

Here are the key news stories impacting Intercontinental Exchange this week:

• Positive Sentiment: ICE will extend daily trading hours for European gas and power contracts (implementation by Feb. 23). Longer hours should boost European volumes and fee income for ICE’s energy derivatives business and strengthen its position versus regional competitors. Intercontinental Exchange to extend trading hours for EU gas and power
• Positive Sentiment: NYSE (an ICE company) will be the U.S. options listing venue for MSCI benchmark indexes in early 2026 — expanding options product flow and listings on ICE platforms, likely increasing listed?options revenue, market?making activity and clearing volumes. This supports longer?term growth in exchange and clearing fees. The New York Stock Exchange Enters Agreement with MSCI to Become the U.S. Options Listing Venue for Benchmark Indexes in Early 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Macro angle: analysts highlight ICE as a potential beneficiary if interest rates stay higher for longer — higher rates and volatility can lift fixed?income/institutional trading, clearing volumes and data demand. This thesis supports ICE’s revenue resilience in a higher?rate environment. Higher-for-Longer Rates Could Reward These 3 Overlooked Stocks (ICE)
• Neutral Sentiment: Press and analysis note record 2025 volumes and expanded MSCI options activity — positive for context, but mainly reinforces already?announced volume trends rather than adding a new catalyst. Useful for valuation/earnings outlook. A Look At Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Valuation After Record 2025 Volumes And Expanded MSCI Options Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage of the extended European gas/power trading hours from industry press; corroborates Reuters announcement but adds limited new detail. Major Exchange Shift Extends European Natural Gas Trading Hours
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research made small downward revisions to several near?term quarterly EPS estimates for ICE (Q1/Q2 2026 and Q2 2027 trims), while slightly raising FY2025 and FY2026 figures — the modest near?term cuts could pressure sentiment but the annual outlook was nudged up. Investors may focus on the near?term trims versus the upgraded full?year view. Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) – Free Report

About Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) is a global operator of exchanges, clearing houses and data services that provides infrastructure for the trading, clearing, settlement and information needs of financial and commodity markets. Founded in 2000 by Jeffrey C. Sprecher as an electronic energy trading platform, the company has grown through organic expansion and acquisitions to operate a broad portfolio of assets spanning listed equities, futures and options, fixed income, and over-the-counter derivatives.