Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) shareholders are probably feeling a little disappointed, since its shares fell 2.3% to US$155 in the week after its latest first-quarter results. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of US$3.0b were what the analysts expected, Intercontinental Exchange surprised by delivering a (statutory) profit of US$2.48 per share, an impressive 27% above what was forecast. This is an important time for investors, as they can track a company's performance in its report, look at what experts are forecasting for next year, and see if there has been any change to expectations for the business. So we gathered the latest post-earnings forecasts to see what estimates suggest is in store for next year.

Taking into account the latest results, the most recent consensus for Intercontinental Exchange from twelve analysts is for revenues of US$10.9b in 2026. If met, it would imply an okay 4.8% increase on its revenue over the past 12 months. Statutory per-share earnings are expected to be US$6.97, roughly flat on the last 12 months. Yet prior to the latest earnings, the analysts had been anticipated revenues of US$10.9b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$6.67 in 2026. The analysts seems to have become more bullish on the business, judging by their new earnings per share estimates.

The consensus price target was unchanged at US$200, implying that the improved earnings outlook is not expected to have a long term impact on value creation for shareholders. Fixating on a single price target can be unwise though, since the consensus target is effectively the average of analyst price targets. As a result, some investors like to look at the range of estimates to see if there are any diverging opinions on the company's valuation. The most optimistic Intercontinental Exchange analyst has a price target of US$240 per share, while the most pessimistic values it at US$174. There are definitely some different views on the stock, but the range of estimates is not wide enough as to imply that the situation is unforecastable, in our view.

These estimates are interesting, but it can be useful to paint some more broad strokes when seeing how forecasts compare, both to the Intercontinental Exchange's past performance and to peers in the same industry. It's pretty clear that there is an expectation that Intercontinental Exchange's revenue growth will slow down substantially, with revenues to the end of 2026 expected to display 6.4% growth on an annualised basis. This is compared to a historical growth rate of 9.5% over the past five years. Compare this to the 431 other companies in this industry with analyst coverage, which are forecast to grow their revenue at 5.7% per year. So it's pretty clear that, while Intercontinental Exchange's revenue growth is expected to slow, it's expected to grow roughly in line with the industry.

The Bottom Line

The most important thing here is that the analysts upgraded their earnings per share estimates, suggesting that there has been a clear increase in optimism towards Intercontinental Exchange following these results. Happily, there were no real changes to revenue forecasts, with the business still expected to grow in line with the overall industry. There was no real change to the consensus price target, suggesting that the intrinsic value of the business has not undergone any major changes with the latest estimates.

With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. At Simply Wall St, we have a full range of analyst estimates for Intercontinental Exchange going out to 2028, and you can see them free on our platform here..

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.