ICE's 2015 Annual Report Shows Net Revenue Up 8% from 2014

The owner of multiple exchanges and business lines including the NYSE, under the group operator Intercontinental Exchange Exchange An exchange is known as a marketplace that supports the trading of derivatives, commodities, securities, and other financial instruments.Generally, an exchange is accessible through a digital platform or sometimes at a tangible address where investors organize to perform trading. Among the chief responsibilities of an exchange would be to uphold honest and fair-trading practices. These are instrumental in making sure that the distribution of supported security rates on that exchange are effectiv An exchange is known as a marketplace that supports the trading of derivatives, commodities, securities, and other financial instruments.Generally, an exchange is accessible through a digital platform or sometimes at a tangible address where investors organize to perform trading. Among the chief responsibilities of an exchange would be to uphold honest and fair-trading practices. These are instrumental in making sure that the distribution of supported security rates on that exchange are effectiv Read this Term Inc. (ICE), today reported its 2015 annual report which saw modest rises across key business metrics, including a rise of nearly 8% for net revenue which reached nearly $3.34 billion, up from $3.09 billion year-over-year.

The company's CEO and Chairman Jeffrey C. Sprecher commented in the letter attached to the annual report: "In 2015, we again delivered on our double-digit earnings growth target. This marked our 10th consecutive year of both record revenue and adjusted earnings growth, which is an unmatched achievement in our sector.”

An excerpt of the company's consolidated financials can be seen in the snapshot below.

ICE's diluted earnings per share from continuing operations jumped 26% year over year, up $2.52 to $12.15 per share from $9.63 for the prior year period, reflecting the increase of over 20% in net income attributed to ICE which amounted to $1.4 billion for 2015. At the same time, the company reported a 10.4% decline in operating cash flow, as 2015's total dropped to $1.31 billion from over $1.46 billion year-over-year.

Two key acquisitions towards the end of last year included the Trayport for a total purchase of $620 million, and the acquisition of the Interactive Data corporation for $5.6 billion. A drop in operating expenses, as well as lower income tax expenses year-over-year, helped the adjusted operating income rise 16% to $1.973 billion for 2015.

The reported noted how the significant Volatility Volatility In finance, volatility refers to the amount of change in the rate of a financial instrument, such as commodities, currencies, or stocks, over a given time period. Essentially, volatility describes the nature of an instrument’s fluctuation; a highly volatile security equates to large fluctuations in price, and a low volatile security equates to timid fluctuations in price. Volatility is an important statistical indicator used by financial traders to assist them in developing trading systems. Trad In finance, volatility refers to the amount of change in the rate of a financial instrument, such as commodities, currencies, or stocks, over a given time period. Essentially, volatility describes the nature of an instrument’s fluctuation; a highly volatile security equates to large fluctuations in price, and a low volatile security equates to timid fluctuations in price. Volatility is an important statistical indicator used by financial traders to assist them in developing trading systems. Trad Read this Term in oil prices coupled with its suite of related oil products offered by the company helped result in the record oil revenues that grew 14% in 2015 when compared to the previous year.

Futures and options net revenue totaled $1.35 billion, up 1.1% from $1.34 year-over-year, while data services fees revenue climbed by $180 million from $691 million in the prior year, up 26% to $871 million in 2015. Shares of ICE lasted traded at $234.68 on the NYSE before the news came out, and were little-changed in the after-hours session.