Capital Analysts LLC Lowers Holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Capital Analysts LLC reduced its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,406 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $1,060,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the third quarter valued at $25,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in S&P Global in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its position in S&P Global by 45.8% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA raised its stake in S&P Global by 200.0% during the 4th quarter. LFA Lugano Financial Advisors SA now owns 75 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

S&P Global Price Performance

NYSE SPGI opened at $408.57 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $338.92 and a 12 month high of $461.16. The stock has a market cap of $130.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.64, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s 50 day moving average is $426.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $415.29.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.54 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 14.02 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 26th. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.23%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on S&P Global from $480.00 to $483.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price target on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $422.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 9th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, S&P Global presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $464.22.

About S&P Global

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.