Sterling Capital Management LLC Sells 5,478 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Sterling Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 12.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 38,728 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 5,478 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $19,288,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,725,084,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $527,207,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in S&P Global by 71,024.1% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 619,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $308,525,000 after purchasing an additional 618,620 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $144,091,000. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. grew its stake in S&P Global by 1,384.4% in the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 290,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $139,718,000 after buying an additional 270,930 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Down 3.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $457.12 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $505.78 and its 200 day moving average is $506.52. The company has a market cap of $143.46 billion, a PE ratio of 37.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. S&P Global Inc. has a 1 year low of $407.69 and a 1 year high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.84%. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on SPGI. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho assumed coverage on S&P Global in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $595.14.

S&P Global Company Profile

S&P Global, Inc engages in the provision of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. It operates through the following segments: Market Intelligence, Ratings, Commodity Insights, Mobility, Indices, and Engineering Solutions.