MarketAxess Holdings Inc. reported second quarter 2026 financial results with total revenues of $218.4 million and diluted earnings per share of $1.93. The company also announced that its Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.78 per share, payable on September 2, 2026 to stockholders of record as of August 19, 2026. Additionally, MarketAxess disclosed it has entered into a definitive agreement for Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) to acquire the company, leading to the suspension of earnings guidance and monthly volume releases. MarketAxess Holdings Inc. operates a leading electronic trading platform for fixed-income securities.

MarketAxess Holdings Inc. entered into a definitive Agreement and Plan of Merger with Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., under which ICE will acquire MarketAxess for $167.00 per share in cash. The transaction values the company at an equity value of approximately $6.0 billion and a total enterprise value of approximately $5.7 billion, representing a 33% premium to MarketAxess’s closing price on July 29, 2026. ICE will finance the all-cash deal through newly issued debt. The Board of Directors unanimously approved the merger and recommended stockholder adoption. Key executives, including CEO Christopher Concannon, CFO Ilene Fiszel Bieler, and General Counsel Scott Pintoff, have amended their severance agreements to include change-of-control protections such as accelerated vesting and lump-sum payments. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2027, subject to MarketAxess stockholder approval, Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust clearance, and other customary conditions. MarketAxess Holdings Inc. operates a leading electronic trading platform for global institutional fixed income markets.