Citi analyst Ben Herbert upgraded IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) to Buy from Neutral and raised his price target for the shares to $86 from $80. The analyst also placed a "30 Day Upside Catalyst Watch" on his top pick CME Group (CME). He lowered his price target for those shares to $210 from $220 and keeps a Buy rating on the name. On IntercontinentalExchange, the analyst sees a more attractive valuation following the recent pullback and a more favorable volume outlook in 2019. Further, he thinks Data momentum drives an upward bias to revenue estimates in 2019 and 2020. For CME, Herbert expects a favorable NEX Group update relating to margins and revenue opportunities when the company reports Q4 earnings.

Reports Q1 revenue $1.49B, consensus $1.48B. "CME Group adjusted net income and earnings per share reached new records in Q1 as investors turned to our markets to manage through the ongoing economic and geopolitical uncertainty in today's marketplace," said Terry Duffy, CME Group Chairman and CEO. "Average daily volume in our U.S. Treasury futures and options grew 12% year over year, reaching a new all-time high of 7.8 million contracts per day. Additionally, ADV in our commodities markets increased 14% to 4.7 million contracts. Looking ahead, we remain committed to providing the deep liquidity and unparalleled capital efficiencies our clients rely on as they continue to navigate a wide range of risks across asset classes."