Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• Horizon Kinetics Asset Management cut its S&P Global stake by 47.3% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 4,278 shares valued at about $2.24 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish, with 17 Buy ratings and one Hold; the consensus price target is $546.39, above the stock’s recent trading level.
• Insiders were buying shares as director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz and CEO Catherine R. Clay made recent purchases, while S&P Global also reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and revenue.

Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 47.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,278 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 3,834 shares during the period. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $2,236,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Troy Asset Management Ltd grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Troy Asset Management Ltd now owns 41,706 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $21,795,000 after purchasing an additional 8,652 shares during the period. Cardano Risk Management B.V. acquired a new position in S&P Global in the third quarter valued at $89,401,000. First Merchants Corp boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 16,614 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,682,000 after acquiring an additional 2,733 shares during the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 111.0% in the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 10,029 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,881,000 after acquiring an additional 5,275 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vinva Investment Management Ltd boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 21.4% in the third quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 26,382 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,963,000 after acquiring an additional 4,659 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SPGI shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on S&P Global from $556.00 to $557.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on S&P Global from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Bank of America started coverage on S&P Global in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $575.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of S&P Global in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $546.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 1,152 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 in the company, valued at $500,002.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Catherine R. Clay acquired 2,500 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $431.39 per share, for a total transaction 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. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased a total of 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

S&P Global Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of SPGI opened at $424.52 on Wednesday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $425.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $460.22. The stock has a market cap of $125.66 billion, a PE ratio of 26.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.08. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $381.61 and a 12 month high of $579.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

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

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.97 per share. This represents a $3.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. S&P Global's payout ratio is currently 24.56%.

S&P Global Profile

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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