S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $464.22.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $500.00 price objective on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on S&P Global from $422.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of S&P Global in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on S&P Global from $480.00 to $483.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on S&P Global from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd.

S&P Global Stock Down 2.0 %

NYSE SPGI opened at $409.56 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $427.55 and a 200-day moving average of $414.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $131.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.15. S&P Global has a 52 week low of $338.92 and a 52 week high of $461.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.02). S&P Global had a return on equity of 11.34% and a net margin of 21.02%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.54 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that S&P Global will post 14.02 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 27th were issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 26th. S&P Global’s payout ratio is 44.23%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Douglas L. Peterson sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $424.74, for a total value of $2,548,440.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 162,530 shares in the company, valued at $69,032,992.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of S&P Global

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. D.B. Root & Company LLC raised its holdings in S&P Global by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. D.B. Root & Company LLC now owns 662 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $292,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in S&P Global by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 714 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in S&P Global by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,356 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $598,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. increased its position in S&P Global by 31.2% during the fourth quarter. Oakworth Capital Inc. now owns 101 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its position in S&P Global by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,487 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $655,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Company Profile

S&P Global Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. It operates through S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Commodity Insights, S&P Global Mobility, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and S&P Global Engineering Solutions segments.