Spire (NYSE:SR) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

Spire (NYSE:SR) was downgraded by equities research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Sunday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded Spire from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their target price for the company from $65.50 to $60.50 in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.50.

Spire Stock Up 1.5 %

Shares of SR stock opened at $69.72 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $68.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.31. Spire has a 1-year low of $56.36 and a 1-year high of $73.64. The company has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were bought at an average price of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $178,504.25. This represents a 70.18 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total transaction of $77,590.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,544.89. The trade was a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.33% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Spire

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SR. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Spire in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Spire by 87.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Spire by 1,318.4% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Missouri Trust & Investment Co lifted its stake in Spire by 28.6% during the third quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Spire by 38.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,057 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Spire

Spire Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the purchase, retail distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and other end-users of natural gas in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Gas Utility, Gas Marketing, and Midstream. It is also involved in the marketing of natural gas and related services; and transportation and storage of natural gas.