S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Stock Has Average Price Target of $523.35

Key Points

• Analysts are broadly positive: 18 of 20 brokerages rate S&P Global a buy, with two holds; the average 12-month price target is $523.35.
• S&P Global beat quarterly estimates, reporting earnings of $4.58 per share and revenue of $3.68 billion; revenue increased 6.8% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share, equivalent to $3.88 annually and a 0.8% yield.

Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eighteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $523.35.

SPGI has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of S&P Global from $554.00 to $531.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 5th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $510.00 price objective on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird set a $513.00 price objective on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th.

S&P Global Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE:SPGI traded up $4.82 on Friday, hitting $473.33. 1,005,778 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,890,148. The stock has a market cap of $137.22 billion, a PE ratio of 28.22, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $428.62 and a 200-day moving average of $428.44. S&P Global has a fifty-two week low of $381.61 and a fifty-two week high of $552.25.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $4.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.43 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.64 billion. S&P Global had a return on equity of 19.46% and a net margin of 32.21%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $4.73 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that S&P Global will post 17.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 25th will be given a dividend of $0.97 per share. This represents a $3.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 25th. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is 23.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPGI. Dorsey Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global in the first quarter valued at $94,716,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global by 17.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 20,005 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,509,000 after acquiring an additional 3,038 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 12.9% during the 2nd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 572,659 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $233,228,000 after acquiring an additional 65,529 shares in the last quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 127.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC now owns 9,033 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,678,000 after acquiring an additional 5,061 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lombard Odier Asset Management Europe Ltd bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 2nd quarter worth $18,361,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About S&P Global

S&P Global Inc. provides financial information, credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and data to businesses, governments and investors around the world. Its services include credit ratings and research through S&P Global Ratings, financial data and analytics through S&P Global Market Intelligence, and information and benchmarks for energy and commodities markets through S&P Global Commodity Insights. The company also develops market indices through S&P Dow Jones Indices, a joint venture in which S&P Global is the majority owner, and provides data and analytics for the automotive industry through S&P Global Mobility.

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