Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 3,251 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 16.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,321 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,251 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $11,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of SPGI. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC bought a new position in S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 131.0% in the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of SPGI traded up $1.52 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $515.46. The company's stock had a trading volume of 837,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,219,672. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $425.49 and a 1-year high of $545.39. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $492.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $504.04. The stock has a market cap of $158.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.74, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.23.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.23 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.01 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.74%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.16%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SPGI. Wall Street Zen lowered S&P Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $599.00 price objective on the stock. Argus raised shares of S&P Global to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on S&P Global from $618.00 to $565.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on S&P Global from $607.00 to $627.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $592.71.

Insider Transactions at S&P Global

In related news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was 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 now directly owns 5,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. This trade represents a 8.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

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.