Woodline Partners LP Takes $9.50 Million Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 19,075 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,500,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in S&P Global in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 131.0% in 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. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:SPGI traded up $7.09 on Tuesday, reaching $517.11. 435,896 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,366,002. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $419.49 and a 12 month high of $545.39. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $491.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $503.68. The company has a market capitalization of $158.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.87, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.23. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.23 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.72 billion. S&P Global had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. The firm's revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.01 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 28th. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.16%.

Insider Buying and Selling at S&P Global

In other S&P Global news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total value of $255,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. This trade represents a 8.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Argus upgraded shares of S&P Global to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on S&P Global from $607.00 to $627.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $618.00 to $565.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on S&P Global from $629.00 to $603.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, S&P Global has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $592.71.

S&P Global Company 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.