Howland Capital Management LLC Sells 1,375 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Key Points

• Howland Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in S&P Global Inc. by 1.3% in Q1, owning approximately 103,794 shares valued at $52.74 million, making it their 10th largest holding.
• Insider selling occurred as EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares for over $255,000, reducing her ownership by 8.88% to 5,131 shares.
• Analysts have mixed views on S&P Global's stock with a consensus price target of $605.62, as various adjustments have been made to the price objectives from major firms, indicating ongoing interest in the stock.

Howland Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 103,794 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 1,375 shares during the period. S&P Global accounts for approximately 2.4% of Howland Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Howland Capital Management LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $52,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. now owns 659 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $335,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 762 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 5,762 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,870,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Burford Brothers Inc. now owns 794 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $403,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $643,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total transaction of $255,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,619,016.33. This represents a 8.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

S&P Global Price Performance

SPGI stock traded down $6.24 on Friday, hitting $544.86. 1,885,503 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 966,738. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $427.14 and a 1-year high of $558.86. The stock has a market cap of $167.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $520.65 and a 200-day moving average of $509.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $4.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.25. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.30% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.65 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $4.04 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 26th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SPGI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $575.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Argus raised shares of S&P Global to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of S&P Global from $629.00 to $603.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $575.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, S&P Global presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $611.69.

S&P Global Profile

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.