Metis Global Partners LLC Acquires 2,703 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Key Points

• Metis Global Partners LLC has increased its stake in S&P Global Inc. by 13.5%, now owning 22,797 shares valued at approximately $11.58 million.
• S&P Global recently reported quarterly earnings of $4.37 EPS, exceeding analysts' expectations, while its revenue was up 8.2% year-over-year, totaling $3.78 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.96 per share, with a payout ratio of 30.16%, aiming to distribute the dividend on September 10th.

Metis Global Partners LLC increased its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 13.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,797 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,703 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $11,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Smallwood Wealth Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in S&P Global by 103.3% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 61 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in S&P Global by 131.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of SPGI stock traded up $0.52 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $530.93. The company had a trading volume of 1,145,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 856,019. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $162.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.19. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $518.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $507.86. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $427.14 and a one year high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.23 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.72 billion. S&P Global had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 27.27%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $4.01 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 26th. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.16%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total value of $255,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 5,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. The trade was a 8.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on SPGI. Argus upgraded S&P Global to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on S&P Global from $575.00 to $625.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Bank of America began coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on S&P Global from $575.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on S&P Global from $627.00 to $632.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, S&P Global has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $601.07.

About S&P Global

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.