Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by Wall Street Zen

Posted by Geri Gentry on Aug 2nd, 2026

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE – Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on ICE. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods began coverage on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $190.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $177.00 price target (up from $159.00) on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Intercontinental Exchange from $187.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $178.00 price objective on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Intercontinental Exchange in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Intercontinental Exchange presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.33.

Check Out Our Latest Report on Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange Price Performance

Intercontinental Exchange stock opened at $152.64 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $139.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.69. Intercontinental Exchange has a 1 year low of $121.79 and a 1 year high of $189.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $86.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.63 billion. Intercontinental Exchange had a net margin of 30.08% and a return on equity of 14.95%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.81 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Intercontinental Exchange will post 7.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Intercontinental Exchange news, General Counsel Andrew J. Surdykowski sold 4,573 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.56, for a total value of $693,083.88. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 45,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,891,887.88. This trade represents a 9.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Mayur Kapani sold 4,271 shares of Intercontinental Exchange stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.42, for a total value of $663,798.82. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer owned 64,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,081,939.98. This represents a 6.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 13,425 shares of company stock worth $2,046,324 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Intercontinental Exchange

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Intercontinental Exchange by 51.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,448 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $514,000 after acquiring an additional 1,169 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 14,396 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,483,000 after purchasing an additional 1,189 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,078 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 27.9% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,213 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $3,892,000 after purchasing an additional 4,628 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in shares of Intercontinental Exchange by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 266,496 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $48,894,000 after purchasing an additional 6,373 shares during the last quarter. 89.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Intercontinental Exchange News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: ICE reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.90 per share, exceeding the $1.84 consensus estimate, while revenue reached approximately $2.7 billion, up 5% year over year. Growth in recurring data and mortgage technology helped offset weaker energy-related activity. ICE Q2 Earnings Beat on Data Growth and Mortgage Strength
Positive Sentiment: The company returned $945 million to shareholders during the quarter, including $651 million in repurchases, and increased its authorized buyback capacity to $4 billion. ICE also raised its quarterly dividend 8% year over year to $0.52 per share. ICE Approves Third Quarter Dividend
Positive Sentiment: The MarketAxess deal would expand ICE’s electronic fixed-income trading, market-data and distribution capabilities. Management is positioning the acquisition to benefit from the long-term shift from voice-based to electronic bond trading. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027. Rise of Bond E-Trading Underpins ICE’s MarketAxess Deal
Neutral Sentiment: MarketAxess shares surged roughly 30% after ICE offered a premium of about 33% to its unaffected price, highlighting the strategic value of the target but also making the transaction a significant capital commitment for ICE. NYSE Parent ICE to Purchase MarketAxess
Negative Sentiment: Investors appear concerned that paying nearly $6 billion in cash could pressure near-term returns, increase execution and integration risk, and limit financial flexibility. The market’s initial reaction was cautious despite the earnings beat, with ICE shares underperforming broader equities.

About Intercontinental Exchange

(Get Free Report)

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.