ICE 10-K Analysis: 20% Earnings Growth, 1% Cash Flow Growth — The Paradox
Intercontinental Exchange delivered 20.7% EPS growth on 7% revenue growth in FY2025 — a 95% incremental margin that screams compounding monopoly. But the 10-K reveals operating cash flow grew just 1.1%, the '51% recurring revenue' claim masks a largest segment that's 62% transactional, and $160 billion in clearinghouse assets make every screener metric wrong. At 28× earnings, the filing quietly contradicts the growth narrative.