Bell Bank Sells 36 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Bell Bank reduced its holdings in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,340 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 36 shares during the quarter. Bell Bank’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $1,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SPGI. Headinvest LLC lifted its stake in S&P Global by 2.0% in the third quarter. Headinvest LLC now owns 997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $515,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. EWA LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. EWA LLC now owns 498 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $254,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its position in S&P Global by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,544 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $788,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of S&P Global by 1.2% during the third quarter. Fullcircle Wealth LLC now owns 1,789 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $872,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 129 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of SPGI opened at $533.05 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $510.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $509.03. The company has a market cap of $164.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $407.69 and a twelve month high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $3.13 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s payout ratio is 29.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on SPGI shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on S&P Global from $600.00 to $585.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group upped their price target on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Citigroup initiated coverage on S&P Global in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of S&P Global from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $590.23.

About S&P Global

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.