iA Global Asset Management Inc. Buys 11,158 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in S&P Global Inc. by 15.2%, owning a total of 84,329 shares valued at approximately $42.8 million.
• S&P Global reported earnings of $4.43 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, with a year-over-year revenue increase of 5.8% to $3.76 billion.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, with a payout ratio of 29.54% and an annual yield of 0.7%, to be paid on September 10th.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 15.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 84,329 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 11,158 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in S&P Global were worth $42,848,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new position in S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC bought a new position in S&P Global in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Trading Down 0.7%

S&P Global stock traded down $3.77 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $558.79. 1,084,879 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,162,194. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $524.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $510.73. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $427.14 and a twelve month high of $566.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $170.60 billion, a PE ratio of 42.98, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.19.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.25. S&P Global had a return on equity of 15.11% and a net margin of 27.30%. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.04 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be issued a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 26th. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on SPGI shares. Barclays increased their price target on S&P Global from $610.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on S&P Global from $632.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on S&P Global from $595.00 to $615.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $616.00 to $589.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Argus raised shares of S&P Global to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. Two investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $611.69.

S&P Global Company 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.