AlphaQuest LLC Acquires 10,355 Shares of Spire Inc. $SR

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Spire Inc. by 1,055.6%, acquiring an additional 10,355 shares during the first quarter, bringing their total ownership to 11,336 shares valued at approximately $887,000.
• Several institutional investors, including Bayforest Capital Ltd and GAMMA Investing LLC, have significantly increased their stakes in Spire, with institutional investors owning 87.36% of the company's stock.
• Spire recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.785, which translates to an annualized dividend yield of 4.0%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 11th.

AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 1,055.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,336 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 10,355 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in Spire were worth $887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Wyoming bought a new position in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd increased its stake in shares of Spire by 2,648.0% during the first quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd now owns 687 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 662 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Spire by 66.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 727 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Spire by 103.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 803 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in shares of Spire by 21.7% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 914 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SR. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Spire from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $81.00 target price on Spire and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Spire in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Spire has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.20.

Spire Price Performance

Spire stock opened at $77.9150 on Monday. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $74.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.22. Spire Inc. has a one year low of $61.56 and a one year high of $79.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market cap of $4.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.66.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.10. Spire had a return on equity of 8.66% and a net margin of 11.56%.The firm had revenue of $421.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $417.27 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.14) EPS. The company's revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. Spire has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.400-4.60 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be issued a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.82%.

Spire Profile

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.

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