Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Bought by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 98,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 875 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Spire were worth $6,649,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Spire by 87.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in Spire by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its position in shares of Spire by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 3,406 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Spire by 26.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,337 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $90,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MBM Wealth Consultants LLC raised its holdings in shares of Spire by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 4,444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $304,000 after acquiring an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Spire Price Performance

Spire stock opened at $76.98 on Tuesday. Spire Inc. has a 1 year low of $57.27 and a 1 year high of $78.83. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.28. The company has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.50.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 7.88%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.785 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.08%. Spire’s payout ratio is currently 76.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Spire from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $72.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Spire in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Bank of America began coverage on Spire in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price objective on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Spire to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Spire from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 20th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.00.

About Spire

Spire Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the purchase, retail distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and other end-users of natural gas in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Gas Utility, Gas Marketing, and Midstream. It is also involved in the marketing of natural gas and related services; and transportation and storage of natural gas.