Regal Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Regal Investment Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,363 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 43 shares during the quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $2,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,725,084,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $527,207,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 71,024.1% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 619,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $308,525,000 after acquiring an additional 618,620 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth $144,091,000. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. boosted its position in shares of S&P Global by 1,384.4% during the 4th quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 290,500 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $139,718,000 after acquiring an additional 270,930 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of SPGI opened at $470.78 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $147.75 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 fifty-two week low of $407.69 and a fifty-two week high of $545.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $503.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $505.60.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.13 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SPGI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. 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, S&P Global currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $595.14.

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.