Cetera Investment Advisers Increases Stock Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in S&P Global Inc. by 0.9%, now holding 91,099 shares valued at approximately $46.29 million.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for S&P Global, with a notable price target increase by several firms, including UBS raising its target to $620.
• S&P Global plans to pay a dividend of $0.96 on September 10th, representing an annualized dividend yield of 0.72% and a payout ratio of 30.16%.

Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 0.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 91,099 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 785 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in S&P Global were worth $46,287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SPGI. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. raised its position in S&P Global by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. now owns 659 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $335,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Invenio Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Invenio Wealth Partners LLC now owns 574 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Retirement Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 5,762 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,870,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. lifted its position in S&P Global by 2.8% during the first quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. now owns 794 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $403,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 1.8% in the first quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $643,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on SPGI. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $587.00 to $595.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Bank of America initiated coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on S&P Global from $629.00 to $603.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on S&P Global from $627.00 to $632.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $575.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $601.07.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SPGI traded up $2.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $533.03. The stock had a trading volume of 222,167 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,273,767. The company has a market capitalization of $163.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.19. S&P Global Inc. has a 12-month low of $427.14 and a 12-month high of $545.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $518.79 and a 200-day moving average of $508.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.23 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 14.68%. S&P Global's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.01 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 26th. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total value of $255,215.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 5,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. The trade was a 8.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

About S&P Global

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.