Baird Financial Group Inc. Lowers Stock Position in Spire Inc. $SR

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group cut its Spire position by 17.1% in the second quarter, selling 12,518 shares and retaining 60,692 shares worth approximately $4.74 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.36% of Spire.
• Spire reported quarterly revenue of $420.2 million and an adjusted loss of $0.26 per share, beating analyst expectations on both measures; revenue increased 19.2% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $3.90 to $4.10.
• Spire declared a quarterly dividend of $0.825 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.30 dividend and a 4.1% yield. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $93.91, versus a recent share price of $80.17.

Baird Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 60,692 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 12,518 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Spire worth $4,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SR. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Spire in the 2nd quarter worth $119,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Spire by 67.7% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,380 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 1,768 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in Spire by 142.1% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 25,720 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,008,000 after purchasing an additional 15,096 shares in the last quarter. Groupe la Francaise grew its stake in Spire by 8.7% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 5,177 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenland Capital Management LP increased its holdings in Spire by 482.5% during the 2nd quarter. Greenland Capital Management LP now owns 32,910 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,570,000 after purchasing an additional 27,260 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Trading Down 1.5%

NYSE SR opened at $80.17 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. Spire Inc. has a 1-year low of $74.81 and a 1-year high of $95.31. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $81.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.08. The company has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of 8.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.54.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.32) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $420.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $394.62 million. Spire had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 8.65%. Spire's revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.01 earnings per share. Spire has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Spire from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $85.00 price target (up from $84.00) on shares of Spire in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Huntington assumed coverage on Spire in a report on Monday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $93.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $88.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Spire presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $93.91.

About Spire

Spire Inc is an energy company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its regulated utility operations, the company distributes natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers in Missouri and Alabama, serving communities through local natural gas infrastructure and related customer services.

Spire also operates businesses involved in natural gas marketing, storage and pipeline transportation. These operations support the company's utility activities and provide natural gas supply, logistics and infrastructure services to utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and other market participants.

The company traces its history to 1857, when it was established as Laclede Gas Company.

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