Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) To Launch ESG Data Service

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) is set to launch a data service in the second half of 2020 to cover the environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors for companies listed both in the United States and internationally.

The new data service is designed to aid investors in assessing ESG risks and opportunities by offering them information on metrics including reported greenhouse gas emissions and board diversity.

The ESG risk is now included in investment decisions so that companies can produce stronger returns, deliver lower risk, and comply with sound management principles. The ESG data business is growing fast and investors are searching for data, which are useful and comparable.

Intercontinental Exchange is expected to gain traction from this strategic move to enter the ESG data business. ICE Data Services for U.S. and international listed corporations now include ESG terms and conditions data in its existing reference data. This will enable customers of ICE Data Services receive primary ESG data points, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reported, board diversity metrics, and nearly 500 other key metrics of ESG-related data. The data, which will be available through this new service, will be flexible and evolve as ESG disclosure evolves.

With the launch, ICE Data Services aims to enhance the transparency of the metrics to enable customers to gauge the risks and opportunities existing in the market.

Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have outperformed the industry in a year’s time. The stock has gained 27.3% compared with the industry’s increase of 22.7%. Solid operational performance is expected to drive shares going forward.

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked stocks from the same space are QIWI PLC (NASDAQ:QIWI) , Fleetcor Technologies (NYSE:FLT) and Global Payments Incorporation (NYSE:GPN) , each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Qiwi operates electronic online payment systems through Payment Services, Consumer Financial Services, Small and Medium Enterprises and Rocketbank segments. The company beat earnings estimates in three of the last four reported quarters, the average being 72.30%.

Fleetcor Technologies provides commercial payment solutions and fuel payments solution to businesses and government entities. It pulled off a four-quarter average beat of 2.07%.

Global Payments provides payment technology and software solutions for card, electronic, check, and digital-based payments. The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average being 2.42%.

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