Appleton Partners Inc. MA Acquires New Stake in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• Appleton Partners Inc. MA opened a new position in S&P Global during the first quarter, buying 22,892 shares valued at about $9.74 million.
• S&P Global reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.97 beating estimates and revenue of $4.17 billion topping expectations; revenue also rose 10.4% year over year.
• The company continued to return cash to shareholders, declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share, payable on September 10, while analysts keep a generally positive view with a Moderate Buy rating and average target price around $540.65.

Appleton Partners Inc. MA acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 22,892 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $9,737,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SPGI. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at $2,398,991,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 858.3% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,760,230 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $919,879,000 after purchasing an additional 1,576,544 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 2,256.7% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,446,633 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $755,996,000 after purchasing an additional 1,385,249 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 43.6% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,037,912 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,587,910,000 after purchasing an additional 922,433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TCI Fund Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. TCI Fund Management Ltd. now owns 11,790,310 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $6,161,498,000 after purchasing an additional 600,440 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE SPGI opened at $438.31 on Monday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $419.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $450.16. S&P Global Inc. has a 1 year low of $381.61 and a 1 year high of $579.05. The firm has a market cap of $129.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.15. S&P Global had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 30.37%.The company had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.37 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 26th will be issued a $0.97 dividend. This represents a $3.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 26th. S&P Global's payout ratio is 24.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SPGI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn reduced their target price on S&P Global from $540.00 to $520.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Weiss Ratings cut S&P Global from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $556.00 to $557.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of S&P Global to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $540.65.

Insider Activity at S&P Global

In other news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 1,152 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $434.03 per share, for a total transaction of $500,002.56. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 1,152 shares of the company's stock, valued at $500,002.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Catherine R. Clay bought 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $431.39 per share, with a total value of $1,078,475.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 2,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,078,475. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have bought 5,974 shares of company stock valued at $2,576,775. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

About S&P Global

S&P Global is a leading provider of financial information, analytics and benchmark indices that serve investors, issuers, corporations and public institutions worldwide. The company operates through well-known businesses that include credit ratings, market intelligence and index licensing, as well as commodity and energy information services. Its products and services are used to assess creditworthiness, inform investment decisions, construct and track benchmark portfolios, and support risk and commodity market analysis.

S&P Global Ratings provides independent credit ratings, research and data used by fixed income investors and capital market participants to evaluate issuer and transaction risk.

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