Clark Capital Management Group Inc. Lowers Stock Holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Clark Capital Management Group Inc. cut its holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 122,953 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 830 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $61,234,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Eastern Bank boosted its stake in S&P Global by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,157 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $24,980,000 after buying an additional 1,530 shares during the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC increased its stake in S&P Global by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 37,746 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $18,799,000 after acquiring an additional 6,051 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 110.8% in the 4th quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 23,868 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,066,000 after acquiring an additional 12,547 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 50.0% during the 4th quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 21,496 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,705,000 after acquiring an additional 7,170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, James Hambro & Partners LLP boosted its position in S&P Global by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 217,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $108,173,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at S&P Global

In related news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total transaction of $255,215.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. The trade was a 8.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

S&P Global Stock Performance

NYSE SPGI opened at $505.84 on Thursday. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $419.49 and a twelve month high of $545.39. The stock has a market cap of $155.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.96, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.23. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $486.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $501.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.23 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.72 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.01 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.16%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SPGI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $555.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on S&P Global from $616.00 to $589.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. StockNews.com lowered S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $592.71.

S&P Global 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.