Leeward Investments LLC MA Purchases 14,586 Shares of Spire Inc. $SR

Key Points

• Leeward Investments LLC MA boosted its stake in Spire by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, buying 14,586 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 118,102 shares valued at about $9.77 million.
• Spire also saw insider buying, with Director Paul D. Koonce purchasing 2,000 shares at $85.81 each, a transaction that increased his ownership by 40%.
• Analysts currently have a Moderate Buy outlook on Spire, with an average price target of $95.50, while the company also reported quarterly earnings of $3.76 per share, topping estimates and supporting a 3.8% dividend yield.

Leeward Investments LLC MA increased its position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 14.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 118,102 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 14,586 shares during the period. Leeward Investments LLC MA owned approximately 0.20% of Spire worth $9,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SR. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Spire by 10.0% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 212,438 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $16,623,000 after acquiring an additional 19,373 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Spire during the 1st quarter valued at about $9,636,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Spire by 1,031.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 611 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 557 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in Spire by 75.8% during the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 4,658 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $340,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Spire by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 585,919 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,766,000 after acquiring an additional 8,726 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Spire

In other Spire news, Director Paul D. Koonce purchased 2,000 shares of Spire stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $85.81 per share, with a total value of $171,620.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 7,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $600,670. This trade represents a 40.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 2.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on SR. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They set a "hold" rating and a $101.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Monday. They set an "overweight" rating and a $96.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $99.00 target price on shares of Spire in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Spire from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Spire from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.50.

Spire Price Performance

NYSE SR opened at $86.13 on Friday. Spire Inc. has a 52 week low of $71.24 and a 52 week high of $95.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.14, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $90.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $87.56.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.72 by $0.04. Spire had a net margin of 13.97% and a return on equity of 9.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.60 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 5.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Spire's dividend payout ratio is presently 58.00%.

Spire Company Profile

Spire Inc NYSE: SR, formerly known as The Laclede Group, is a regulated natural gas distribution company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its three operating divisions—Spire Missouri, Spire Alabama and Spire Mississippi—the company delivers natural gas to more than 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. Spire's service territory spans key markets in the central and southern United States, including metropolitan St. Louis, central Alabama and central Mississippi.

Founded in 1857 as the Laclede Gas Light Company, the business has grown through strategic acquisitions, notably Alabama Gas Corporation in 2013 and Mississippi Gas in 2016.

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