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ICE vs MCO
Which Stock Would AI Choose? Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) vs. Moody's Corporation (MCO) Stock Comparison
Key Takeaways
- ICE operates global exchanges (including the New York Stock Exchange), data services, and mortgage technology, while MCO is built around credit ratings and subscription-based analytics.
- Recent market activity has favored ICE, which posted record quarterly volumes and double-digit revenue growth driven by energy and interest-rate volatility, while MCO saw ratings revenue soften on weaker leveraged-finance issuance.
- Both companies carry premium valuations and generate high-margin, recurring revenue, but ICE's business is more sensitive to trading volume, whereas MCO's ratings arm is more cyclical to bond issuance.
- ICE has more visible near-term growth catalysts (tokenized securities, private credit data, mortgage technology), while MCO offers a highly stable analytics franchise with roughly 99% recurring revenue.
- Market positioning differs meaningfully: ICE is a diversified market-infrastructure operator, and MCO is a ratings-and-data duopoly with entrenched regulatory standing.
- For more context on each name, explore ICE Major News and ICE Today's Price Move, as well as MCO Major News and MCO Today's Price Move.
- To see how automated strategies are currently positioned across these and other tickers, explore Trending AI Robots.
Introduction
Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and Moody's Corporation (MCO) are two of the most influential franchises in global financial markets, yet they occupy different corners of the industry. ICE provides the infrastructure — exchanges, clearing, data, and mortgage technology — that keeps markets running, while MCO supplies the credit ratings and analytics that investors use to assess risk. This stock comparison is relevant for investors weighing a high-volume market-infrastructure operator against a high-margin, ratings-and-data business. Both command wide competitive moats, but their recent relative performance and growth drivers have diverged, making the contrast a useful case study in market positioning and momentum.
ICE Overview and Recent Performance
ICE is a global market-infrastructure company that operates the New York Stock Exchange and a broad network of derivatives exchanges, alongside fixed income and data services and its mortgage-technology platform. In recent quarters, the company has benefited from elevated market volatility, which lifted trading volumes and transaction-based revenue across energy, interest-rate, and financial contracts. Energy-related revenue has been a standout, reflecting a multi-year structural repricing in commodities rather than a one-off event. Management has emphasized the digitization of financial markets, growing demand for risk management, and the value of proprietary data, including early initiatives in tokenized securities and private-credit intelligence. Despite strong fundamental momentum, the share price has been more range-bound in recent market activity, with some analysts citing valuation and the mortgage segment's mixed results as areas of debate.
MCO Overview and Recent Performance
MCO operates through two primary divisions: Moody's Investors Service, a leading credit-rating agency, and Moody's Analytics, which provides research, data, and risk-management software. The company enjoys a strong recurring-revenue base, with analytics contributing roughly 99% recurring revenue and growing annualized recurring revenue at a high-single-digit pace. However, recent market activity has highlighted the cyclical side of the business: ratings revenue softened as leveraged-finance issuance slowed against a record prior-year period, weighing on consolidated results. Corporate finance and high-yield activity declined, while investment-grade issuance remained resilient. Moody's has continued to return substantial capital to shareholders through buybacks and dividends, and it reaffirmed its full-year outlook even as near-term profitability faced pressure from higher operating expenses and a mixed issuance environment.
Trending AI Robots
Tickeron's Trending AI Robots page is a curated showcase of the platform's most compelling automated trading strategies. While Tickeron hosts hundreds of AI trading bots covering thousands of different tickers, only a select group earns a place in this section — those whose performance, statistics, and trading style align best with current market conditions. These bots vary widely in strategy, timeframe, and the specific tickers they trade, ranging from short-term momentum approaches to longer-horizon trend-following systems. Because each bot publishes its own performance history and risk metrics, traders can compare approaches rather than relying on a single signal. For those interested in how automation is navigating names like ICE and MCO, exploring the Trending AI Robots section offers a practical starting point.
Head-to-Head Comparison
The clearest contrast between these two stocks lies in their revenue models. ICE earns a substantial share of its revenue from transaction volumes, which makes it directly sensitive to market volatility and trading activity — a tailwind in turbulent conditions but a headwind in calm ones. MCO, by contrast, blends a cyclical ratings business with a highly recurring analytics franchise, producing steadier top-line growth but exposing it to bond-issuance cycles. Growth drivers also differ: ICE is expanding into mortgage technology, private-credit data, and tokenization, while MCO is scaling its data and decision-solutions offerings and broadening its global ratings footprint. On risk, ICE carries integration exposure from its mortgage-technology segment and sensitivity to volume slowdowns, whereas MCO faces regulatory scrutiny of the ratings industry and earnings sensitivity to leveraged-finance activity. Both stocks trade at premium multiples relative to broader financials, reflecting their durable competitive advantages, but their relative performance has recently favored ICE's volume-driven momentum over MCO's steadier, more defensive profile.
Tickeron AI Verdict
Based on observable factors, Tickeron's AI would likely favor ICE in the current environment. The company has demonstrated stronger recent revenue and volume momentum, backed by structural drivers in energy and interest-rate derivatives and a pipeline of emerging catalysts around data, tokenization, and mortgage automation. MCO remains a high-quality franchise with exceptional recurring revenue, but its near-term trend has been constrained by softer leveraged-finance issuance and a recent earnings shortfall. The probabilistic view is that ICE currently offers greater trend consistency and nearer-term catalysts, while MCO's appeal rests more on long-term stability and recurring cash flows. As always, these signals reflect a statistical assessment of current conditions rather than a guaranteed outcome.
Disclaimer
The information on this webpage is provided for general informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation to purchase or sell any security, or an offer or solicitation related to investments. It does not consider your personal financial situation, goals, or risk profile, and all investing carries inherent risks, including the possibility of losing your entire investment. For more details, please review our full disclaimer.
To compare these two companies we present long-term analysis, their fundamental ratings and make comparative short-term technical analysis which are presented below. The conclusion is ICE is a Buy and MCO is a Hold.
ICE in upward trend: price rose above 50-day moving average on October 29, 2026
ICE moved above its 50-day moving average on October 29, 2026 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend. In 18 of 30 similar past instances, the stock price increased further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 60%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on October 28, 2026. You may want to consider a long position or call options on ICE as a result. In 35 of 71 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are 49%.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for ICE just turned positive on October 29, 2026. Looking at past instances where ICE's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 21 of 44 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 48%.
The 10-day moving average for ICE crossed bullishly above the 50-day moving average on October 19, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted higher and could be considered a buy signal. In 7 of 12 past instances when the 10-day crossed above the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 58%.
Following a +3.77% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where ICE advanced for three days, in 185 of 344 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 54%.
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In 158 of 333 cases where ICE Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are 47%.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The RSI Indicator has been in the overbought zone for 1 day. Expect a price pull-back in the near future.
The Stochastic Oscillator demonstrated that the ticker has stayed in the overbought zone for 7 days. The longer the ticker stays in the overbought zone, the sooner a price pull-back is expected.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where ICE declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 52%.
ICE broke above its upper Bollinger Band on October 30, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 22 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating outstanding price growth. ICE’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 46 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating well-balanced risk and returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 71, placing this stock slightly better than average.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 59 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 59 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating slightly weaker than average sales and a marginally profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of 75 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly overvalued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 87 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is significantly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (3.273) is normal, around the industry mean (4.143). P/E Ratio (24.229) is within average values for comparable stocks, (19.659). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (2.071) is also within normal values, averaging (1.780). Dividend Yield (0.012) settles around the average of (0.017) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (6.553) is also within normal values, averaging (7.166).
MCO in upward trend: price rose above 50-day moving average on October 29, 2026
MCO moved above its 50-day moving average on October 29, 2026 date and that indicates a change from a downward trend to an upward trend. In 29 of 42 similar past instances, the stock price increased further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 69%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bullish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on October 12, 2026. You may want to consider a long position or call options on MCO as a result. In 54 of 87 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are 62%.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for MCO just turned positive on October 09, 2026. Looking at past instances where MCO's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 24 of 44 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 55%.
The 10-day moving average for MCO crossed bullishly above the 50-day moving average on October 26, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted higher and could be considered a buy signal. In 10 of 17 past instances when the 10-day crossed above the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 59%.
Following a +3.52% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where MCO advanced for three days, in 215 of 348 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 62%.
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In 122 of 274 cases where MCO Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are 45%.
Bearish Trend Analysis
The 10-day RSI Indicator for MCO moved out of overbought territory on November 05, 2026. This could be a bearish sign for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 41 similar instances where the indicator moved out of overbought territory. In 29 of the 41 cases, the stock moved lower in the following days. This puts the odds of a move lower at 71%.
The Stochastic Oscillator may be shifting from an upward trend to a downward trend. In 36 of 64 cases where MCO's Stochastic Oscillator exited the overbought zone, the price fell further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 56%.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where MCO declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 53%.
MCO broke above its upper Bollinger Band on November 04, 2026. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 16 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 30 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating outstanding price growth. MCO’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 44 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating well-balanced risk and returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 71, placing this stock slightly better than average.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of 50 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 69 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to worse than average earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 97 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is significantly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: MCO's P/B Ratio (28.950) is very high in comparison to the industry average of (4.143). P/E Ratio (31.984) is within average values for comparable stocks, (19.659). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (1.609) is also within normal values, averaging (1.780). Dividend Yield (0.008) settles around the average of (0.017) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (10.132) is also within normal values, averaging (7.166).
ICE | MCO | ||
|---|---|---|---|
OUTLOOK RATING 1..100 | 36 | 30 | |
VALUATION overvalued / fair valued / undervalued 1..100 | 87 Overvalued | 97 Overvalued | |
PROFIT vs RISK RATING 1..100 | 46 | 44 | |
SMR RATING 1..100 | 59 | 16 | |
PRICE GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 22 | 30 | |
P/E GROWTH RATING 1..100 | 59 | 69 | |
SEASONALITY SCORE 1..100 | 75 | 50 |
Tickeron ratings are formulated such that a rating of 1 designates the most successful stocks in a given industry, while a rating of 100 points to the least successful stocks for that industry.
ICE's Valuation (87) in the Investment Banks Or Brokers industry is in the same range as MCO (97) in the Financial Publishing Or Services industry. This means that ICE’s stock grew similarly to MCO’s over the last 12 months.
MCO's Profit vs Risk Rating (44) in the Financial Publishing Or Services industry is in the same range as ICE (46) in the Investment Banks Or Brokers industry. This means that MCO’s stock grew similarly to ICE’s over the last 12 months.
MCO's SMR Rating (16) in the Financial Publishing Or Services industry is somewhat better than the same rating for ICE (59) in the Investment Banks Or Brokers industry. This means that MCO’s stock grew somewhat faster than ICE’s over the last 12 months.
ICE's Price Growth Rating (22) in the Investment Banks Or Brokers industry is in the same range as MCO (30) in the Financial Publishing Or Services industry. This means that ICE’s stock grew similarly to MCO’s over the last 12 months.
ICE's P/E Growth Rating (59) in the Investment Banks Or Brokers industry is in the same range as MCO (69) in the Financial Publishing Or Services industry. This means that ICE’s stock grew similarly to MCO’s over the last 12 months.
| ICE | MCO | |
|---|---|---|
| RSI ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 35% | 1 day ago 71% |
| Stochastic ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 43% | 1 day ago 56% |
| Momentum ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 49% | 1 day ago 62% |
| MACD ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 48% | 2 days ago 55% |
| TrendWeek ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 52% | 1 day ago 52% |
| TrendMonth ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 48% | 1 day ago 56% |
| Advances ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 54% | 10 days ago 62% |
| Declines ODDS (%) | 6 days ago 52% | 6 days ago 53% |
| BollingerBands ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 52% | 1 day ago 50% |
| Aroon ODDS (%) | 1 day ago 47% | 1 day ago 45% |
Long-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a long-term outlook for a ticker by using Fundamental Analysis (FA) ratings. The rating of 1 to 100, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, is divided into thirds. The first third (a green rating of 1-33) indicates that the ticker is undervalued; the second third (a grey number between 34 and 66) means that the ticker is valued fairly; and the last third (red number of 67 to 100) reflects that the ticker is overvalued. We use an FA Score to show how many ratings show the ticker to be undervalued (green) or overvalued (red).
ICE’s FA Score shows that 1 FA rating(s) are green while MCO’s FA Score has 2 green FA rating(s).
- ICE’s FA Score: 1 green, 4 red.
- MCO’s FA Score: 2 green, 3 red.
Short-Term Analysis
It is best to consider a short-term outlook for a ticker by using Technical Analysis (TA) indicators. We use Odds of Success as the percentage of outcomes which confirm successful trade signals in the past.
If the Odds of Success (the likelihood of the continuation of a trend) for each indicator are greater than 50%, then the generated signal is confirmed. A green percentage from 90% to 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bullish trend. A red percentage from 90% - 51% indicates that the ticker is in a bearish trend. All grey percentages are below 50% and are considered not to confirm the trend signal.
ICE’s TA Score shows that 6 TA indicator(s) are bullish while MCO’s TA Score has 6 bullish TA indicator(s).
- ICE’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
- MCO’s TA Score: 6 bullish, 4 bearish.
Price Growth
ICE (@Financial Publishing/Services) experienced а +3.18% price change this week, while MCO (@Financial Publishing/Services) price change was -2.54% for the same time period.
The average weekly price growth across all stocks in the @Financial Publishing/Services industry was -0.02%. For the same industry, the average monthly price growth was +8.92%, and the average quarterly price growth was +15.85%.
Reported Earning Dates
ICE is expected to report earnings on Feb 11, 2027.
MCO is expected to report earnings on Feb 05, 2027.
Industries' Descriptions
@Financial Publishing/Services (-0.02% weekly)The financial publishing /services sector includes companies that provide informational products and services that are of value to investors, financial/analytics professionals and other interested readers. The products include real-time stock quotes, financial news and analyses. Think S&P Global, Inc., Moody`s Corporation, Thomson-Reuters Corp and IHS Markit Ltd. Information is critical in making financial or investment decisions, and what makes this industry’s output relevant at all times, across various economic conditions.
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ICE and
Correlation & Price change
A.I.dvisor indicates that over the last year, ICE has been loosely correlated with SPGI. These tickers have moved in lockstep 59% of the time. This A.I.-generated data suggests there is some statistical probability that if ICE jumps, then SPGI could also see price increases.
| Ticker / NAME | Correlation To ICE | 1D Price Change % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICE | 100% | +2.40% | ||
| SPGI - ICE | 59% Loosely correlated | +0.37% | ||
| TRU - ICE | 53% Loosely correlated | -0.06% | ||
| MSCI - ICE | 53% Loosely correlated | +0.71% | ||
| TW - ICE | 52% Loosely correlated | +0.75% | ||
| MCO - ICE | 51% Loosely correlated | +0.83% | ||
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