Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Has $111.11 Million Holdings in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. increased its S&P Global stake by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, holding 212,605 shares worth about $111.1 million. S&P Global now makes up roughly 2.0% of the fund’s portfolio.
• Insider buying picked up, with CEO Martina Cheung and CEO Catherine R. Clay purchasing shares in recent transactions. Over the last three months, insiders bought 5,974 shares worth about $2.58 million.
• S&P Global reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.97 and revenue of $4.17 billion, while analysts remain broadly positive. The stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $550.

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. grew its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 212,605 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 40,296 shares during the period. S&P Global makes up approximately 2.0% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.'s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. owned about 0.07% of S&P Global worth $111,105,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,176 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $547,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 1,694,790 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $893,511,000 after purchasing an additional 88,526 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 2nd quarter worth about $552,000. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,212 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,694,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at S&P Global

In other news, CEO Martina Cheung purchased 2,322 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $429.93 per share, for a total transaction of $998,297.46. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,830,813.74. The trade was a 9.22% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Catherine R. Clay purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $431.39 per share, for a total transaction of $1,078,475.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,078,475. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of SPGI opened at $409.72 on Wednesday. S&P Global Inc. has a 12-month low of $381.61 and a 12-month high of $579.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $121.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.11. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $426.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $468.14.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.15. S&P Global had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 30.37%.The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.37 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SPGI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on S&P Global from $482.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Robert W. Baird set a $546.00 price objective on S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings cut S&P Global from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on S&P Global from $556.00 to $557.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, S&P Global currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $550.00.

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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