Kerrisdale Advisers LLC Acquires 315 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Kerrisdale Advisers LLC grew its holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 14.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,475 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. Kerrisdale Advisers LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $1,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 131.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in S&P Global by 700.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Trading Up 0.9 %

SPGI opened at $470.84 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $494.80 and its 200-day moving average is $503.54. The company has a market cap of $147.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.12, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $407.69 and a 1-year high of $545.39. 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 (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.13 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This is an increase from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.82%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SPGI shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of S&P Global from $633.00 to $607.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Mizuho assumed coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on S&P Global in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $591.86.

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.