Leelyn Smith LLC Buys New Position in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• Leelyn Smith LLC opened a new position in S&P Global during the first quarter, buying 7,813 shares valued at about $3.32 million.
• Several analysts remain constructive on the stock, with 17 Buy ratings and one Hold; the consensus price target is $540.65.
• S&P Global reported strong quarterly results, beating estimates with $4.97 EPS on $4.17 billion in revenue, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share.

Leelyn Smith LLC bought a new stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 7,813 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,323,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 134.6% during the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 61 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 171.4% in the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 76 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on S&P Global from $482.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Daiwa Securities Group cut their target price on shares of S&P Global from $490.00 to $485.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Evercore dropped their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $625.00 to $560.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of S&P Global from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $540.65.

Insider Transactions at S&P Global

In other news, CEO Martina Cheung bought 2,322 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $429.93 per share, for a total transaction of $998,297.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 27,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,830,813.74. This trade represents a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 1,152 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $434.03 per share, with a total value of $500,002.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $500,002.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

SPGI stock opened at $438.31 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $419.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $450.50. 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 stock has a market cap of $129.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.74, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.08. S&P Global Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $381.61 and a fifty-two week high of $579.05.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 earnings per share 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 net margin of 30.37% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.37 earnings per share. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.97 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 26th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.56%.

S&P Global Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.