ICE
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.
ICE has a slight edge over MS overall, supported by stronger valuation.
MS
Morgan Stanley
MS offers stronger modeled upside, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
ICE Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
ICE's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like ICE.
MS Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Healthy | |
| Strong | |
| N/A | |
| N/A |
MS's revenue and profitability are currently healthy. Free cash flow and net leverage aren't meaningful measures for financial services companies like MS.
ICE PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 21x | $178 | — |
| Cheap | 22x | $165 | -7.5% |
| Current | 24x | $178 | — |
| Fair | 28x | $209 | +17% |
| Expensive | 37x | $271 | +52% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
ICE has the edge over MS in the historical PE scenario, which offers more potential upside but is not a forecast.
MS PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 11x | $134 | -29% |
| Fair | 14x | $178 | -5.7% |
| Forward | 14x | $189 | — |
| Current | 15x | $189 | — |
| Expensive | 18x | $223 | +18% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
MS's PE is in its fair range at 15x. If earnings grow as analysts expect, today's price would be 14x next year's earnings.
ICE Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for ICE, with profitability improving.
MS Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Improving | |
| Growth | |
| Growth | |
| Improving | |
| Limited | |
| Moderate |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for MS, with profitability improving.
ICE Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $8.59 | +17% |
| Q3 2026 | $7.33 | +34% |
| Q2 2026 | $7.08 | +36% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.87 | +42% |
| Q4 2025 | $5.77 | +21% |
| Q3 2025 | $5.49 | +30% |
| Q2 2025 | $5.21 | +29% |
| Q1 2025 | $4.83 | +11% |
| Q4 2024 | $4.78 | +14% |
ICE's earnings per share have climbed steadily: $7.33 over the past year, up 34% from the year before, and higher year over year for eight quarters in a row.
MS Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $13.39 | +6.3% |
| Q3 2026 | $12.60 | +29% |
| Q2 2026 | $12.37 | +40% |
| Q1 2026 | $11.04 | +29% |
| Q4 2025 | $10.21 | +28% |
| Q3 2025 | $9.76 | +48% |
| Q2 2025 | $8.84 | +45% |
| Q1 2025 | $8.53 | +55% |
| Q4 2024 | $7.95 | +53% |
MS has the edge over ICE on earnings, with stronger typical year-over-year growth.
ICE Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $3.6B | +21% |
| Q2 2026 | $3.6B | +11% |
| Q1 2026 | $3.7B | +14% |
| Q4 2025 | $3.1B | +3.7% |
| Q3 2025 | $3B | -0.9% |
| Q2 2025 | $3.3B | +13% |
| Q1 2025 | $3.2B | +15% |
| Q4 2024 | $3B | +14% |
ICE's revenue has grown year over year for four quarters in a row: $3.6B last quarter, up 21% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 39% | -0.2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 39% | -1.2 points |
| Q1 2026 | 45% | +7.6 points |
| Q4 2025 | 39% | +3.8 points |
| Q3 2025 | 39% | +2.7 points |
| Q2 2025 | 40% | +3 points |
| Q1 2025 | 38% | -0.1 points |
| Q4 2024 | 36% | +0.8 points |
ICE has the edge over MS on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
MS Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $20.3B | +12% |
| Q2 2026 | $21.3B | +27% |
| Q1 2026 | $20.6B | +16% |
| Q4 2025 | $17.9B | +10% |
| Q3 2025 | $18.2B | +18% |
| Q2 2025 | $16.8B | +12% |
| Q1 2025 | $17.7B | +17% |
| Q4 2024 | $16.2B | +26% |
MS has the edge over ICE on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 32% | -1.2 points |
| Q2 2026 | 34% | +6.9 points |
| Q1 2026 | 34% | +2.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 32% | +2 points |
| Q3 2025 | 33% | +5.6 points |
| Q2 2025 | 28% | +0.4 points |
| Q1 2025 | 31% | +2.2 points |
| Q4 2024 | 30% | +14 points |
MS's operating margin was 32% last quarter, down 1.2 points from the same quarter a year ago.
ICE Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $1.1B | +23% |
| Q2 2026 | $1.9B | +28% |
| Q1 2026 | $1.3B | +43% |
| Q4 2025 | $1.1B | -15% |
| Q3 2025 | $853M | +4.2% |
| Q2 2025 | $1.4B | +29% |
| Q1 2025 | $881M | -7.4% |
| Q4 2024 | $1.3B | +49% |
ICE has the edge over MS on cash generation, producing positive trailing cash flow while its opponent burns cash.
MS Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$46B | -$42.7B |
| Q2 2026 | -$2.7B | -123% |
| Q1 2026 | -$7.1B | +$16.9B |
| Q4 2025 | -$2.4B | -120% |
| Q3 2025 | -$3.3B | +$14B |
| Q2 2025 | $11.8B | +368% |
| Q1 2025 | -$24B | -650% |
| Q4 2024 | $11.8B | +$29.6B |
MS's free cash flow was −$58.3B over the past year, against −$3.7B the year before. Free cash flow isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like MS.
ICE Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.5% | -3M shares |
| 1 year | -1.9% | -11M shares |
| 3 years | -0.4% | -2M shares |
| 5 years | -0.5% | -3M shares |
| Available history | -0.4% | -2M shares |
ICE has the edge over MS on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $400M |
| Q2 2026 | $651M |
| Q1 2026 | $551M |
| Q4 2025 | $400M |
| Q3 2025 | $398M |
| Q2 2025 | $255M |
| Q1 2025 | $241M |
| Q4 2023 | — |
ICE spent $2B buying back its own shares over the past year.
MS Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.2% | -3M shares |
| 1 year | -1.5% | -24M shares |
| 3 years | -4.7% | -77M shares |
| 5 years | -14% | -246M shares |
| Available history | -4.5% | -74M shares |
MS has 1.6B diluted shares, down 1.5% from a year ago.
ICE Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 3.5x | Elevated |
| Q2 2026 | 3.0x | Elevated |
| Q1 2026 | 3.3x | Elevated |
| Q4 2025 | 3.2x | Elevated |
| Q3 2025 | 3.2x | Elevated |
| Q2 2025 | 3.3x | Elevated |
| Q1 2025 | 3.8x | Elevated |
| Q4 2024 | 4.0x | Elevated |
ICE has the edge over MS on leverage, with a lower net debt burden relative to earnings.
MS Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | 7.8x | High |
| Q2 2026 | 7.3x | High |
| Q1 2026 | 8.2x | High |
| Q4 2025 | 8.6x | High |
| Q3 2025 | 8.4x | High |
| Q2 2025 | 8.7x | High |
| Q1 2025 | 8.7x | High |
| Q4 2024 | 7.9x | High |
MS's net debt is about 7.8 years of its operating earnings (EBITDA), down from 8.4 years a year ago. Net leverage isn't a meaningful measure for financial services companies like MS.
ICE Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 68.5 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 88.9 | Overbought |
ICE's weekly RSI is 68 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 89 (overbought).
MS Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 45.0 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 18.7 | Oversold |
MS's weekly RSI is 45 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 19 (oversold).
ICE PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | ICE | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 24x | 13x | 86% above |
| PE % | 28 | 63 | 35 pts below |
ICE is trading at 24x earnings, a 86% premium to the Financial Services sector's median of 13x.
MS PE vs Financial Services Sector
| Metric | MS | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 15x | 13x | 15% above |
| PE % | 59 | 63 | 4 pts below |
MS has the edge over ICE on valuation relative to its sector.
ICE Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $163.0 | 9.1% above |
| 20 week MA | $155.6 | 14% above |
| 50 week MA | $156.6 | 14% above |
| 100 week MA | $162.0 | 9.8% above |
| 200 week MA | $144.9 | 23% above |
ICE has the edge over MS on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
MS Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $186.5 | 1.5% above |
| 20 week MA | $203.3 | 6.9% below |
| 50 week MA | $191.9 | 1.4% below |
| 100 week MA | $164.9 | 15% above |
| 200 week MA | $129.3 | 46% above |
MS's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 46% above its 200-week average.
ICE Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $93.0 | $112.7 | +21% |
| 2021 | $112.7 | $135.8 | +21% |
| 2022 | $135.8 | $102.8 | -24% |
| 2023 | $102.8 | $128.4 | +25% |
| 2024 | $128.4 | $150.3 | +17% |
| 2025 | $150.3 | $163.5 | +8.8% |
| 2026 YTD | $163.5 | $177.9 | +8.8% |
ICE has the edge over MS on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
MS Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $51.1 | $68.1 | +33% |
| 2021 | $68.1 | $99.3 | +46% |
| 2022 | $99.3 | $86.1 | -13% |
| 2023 | $86.1 | $93.3 | +8.3% |
| 2024 | $93.3 | $126.8 | +36% |
| 2025 | $126.8 | $181.9 | +43% |
| 2026 YTD | $181.9 | $189.2 | +4% |
MS has finished higher in five of the last six years. It's up 4% so far in 2026.