BlackRock Inc. Takes $667.64 Million Position in Spire Inc. $SR

Key Points

• BlackRock acquired 8.55 million Spire shares worth approximately $667.6 million, giving it a 14.46% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 87.36% of the utility company.
• Spire reported quarterly revenue of $420.2 million, up 19.2% year over year, and posted an adjusted EPS loss of $0.26—better than analysts’ expected loss of $0.32. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $3.90–$4.10.
• Spire declared a quarterly dividend of $0.825 per share, equating to an annualized $3.30 payout and a 4.1% yield. Analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $94.

BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 8,549,646 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $667,642,000. BlackRock Inc. owned 14.46% of Spire as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Spire by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,430,368 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $531,791,000 after buying an additional 19,326 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Spire by 1.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,351,641 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $247,162,000 after buying an additional 61,851 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Spire by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,579,856 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $130,672,000 after buying an additional 47,106 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in shares of Spire by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,240,395 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $102,581,000 after acquiring an additional 20,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its position in shares of Spire by 70.0% during the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,123,220 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $92,890,000 after acquiring an additional 462,500 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SR opened at $80.97 on Monday. 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 12 month low of $73.91 and a 12 month high of $95.31. The company has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.03, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.52. The firm's 50-day moving average is $80.59 and its 200 day moving average is $85.84.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.06. Spire had a return on equity of 8.65% and a net margin of 21.48%.The business had revenue of $420.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $394.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.01 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Spire has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. Research analysts predict that Spire Inc. will post 4.01 EPS for the current year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Spire's payout ratio is currently 36.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $85.00 target price (up from $84.00) on shares of Spire in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Monday, May 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $96.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Spire from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Spire from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.00.

Insider Transactions at Spire

In other news, SVP Ryan L. Hyman sold 3,822 shares of Spire stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.51, for a total transaction of $307,709.22. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,295 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,150,890.45. The trade was a 21.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $78.46 per share, with a total value of $39,230.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $627,680. This represents a 6.67% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 2.26% of the company's stock.

Spire Company Profile

Spire Inc NYSE: SR, formerly known as The Laclede Group, is a regulated natural gas distribution company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its three operating divisions—Spire Missouri, Spire Alabama and Spire Mississippi—the company delivers natural gas to more than 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. Spire's service territory spans key markets in the central and southern United States, including metropolitan St. Louis, central Alabama and central Mississippi.

Founded in 1857 as the Laclede Gas Light Company, the business has grown through strategic acquisitions, notably Alabama Gas Corporation in 2013 and Mississippi Gas in 2016.

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