IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (ICE)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- IntercontinentalExchange (NYSE:ICE) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A- . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its expanding profit margins, growth in earnings per share, solid stock price performance, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and increase in net income. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.

• EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Jim Cramer's Protégé, Dave Peltier, only buys Stocks Under $10 that he thinks could potentially double. See what he's trading today with a 14-day FREE pass

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The gross profit margin for INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE INC is currently very high, coming in at 81.00%. It has increased from the same quarter the previous year. Along with this, the net profit margin of 40.03% significantly outperformed against the industry average.
• INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE INC's earnings per share improvement from the most recent quarter was slightly positive. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, INTERCONTINENTALEXCHANGE INC increased its bottom line by earning $7.52 versus $6.91 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($8.49 versus $7.52).
• The stock has risen over the past year as investors have generally rewarded the company for its earnings growth and other positive factors like the ones we have cited in this report. Looking ahead, the stock's rise over the last year has already helped drive it to a level which is relatively expensive compared to the rest of its industry. We feel, however, that the other strengths this company displays justify these higher price levels.
• The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.31, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. Even though the company has a strong debt-to-equity ratio, the quick ratio of 0.06 is very weak and demonstrates a lack of ability to pay short-term obligations.
• ICE, with its decline in revenue, slightly underperformed the industry average of 8.2%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly dropped by 1.2%. The declining revenue has not hurt the company's bottom line, with increasing earnings per share.

IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. operates regulated global markets and clearing houses primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Brazil. IntercontinentalExchange has a market cap of $11.38 billion and is part of the financial sector and financial services industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 20.8, above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 28% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full IntercontinentalExchange Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

It's Official: Action Alerts PLUS beats the S&P 500 with Dividends Reinvested! Cramer and Link were up 16.72% in 2012. Were you? See what they are trading for 14-days FREE

For more information on IntercontinentalExchange Inc. click any of the following:

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Stock Price

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Analyst Ratings

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Key Stats & Profile

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Earnings

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Ratio Comparison

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Growth Rates

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Balance Sheet

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Cash Flow

• IntercontinentalExchange Inc. Income Statement