Strategic Global Advisors LLC Purchases New Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Strategic Global Advisors LLC acquired a new position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 2,396 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,193,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 valued at $18,799,000 after buying an additional 6,051 shares during the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter worth approximately $14,040,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 110.8% during the fourth quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 23,868 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,066,000 after purchasing an additional 12,547 shares during the last quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP lifted its position in S&P Global by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 217,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $108,173,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899 shares during the period. Finally, Freestone Capital Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC now owns 11,499 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,727,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Performance

SPGI opened at $522.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $160.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.30, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.23. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $419.49 and a 1-year high of $545.39. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $487.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $502.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.23 by $0.14. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The company had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.01 EPS. S&P Global’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of S&P Global 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,131 shares in the company, valued at $2,619,016.33. This trade represents a 8.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho assumed coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of S&P Global from $555.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.