Morningstar Investment Management LLC Sells 10,590 Shares of S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• Morningstar Investment Management cut its S&P Global stake by 56.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 10,590 shares and leaving it with 8,202 shares worth about $4.29 million.
• Insiders have been buying the stock: CEO Catherine R. Clay and Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz recently purchased shares, and insiders bought 5,974 shares in the last 90 days.
• S&P Global posted solid results, beating quarterly EPS and revenue expectations, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share and maintaining a “Moderate Buy” analyst consensus with a $546.39 price target.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 56.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,202 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 10,590 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $4,286,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its stake in S&P Global by 134.6% in the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 61 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in S&P Global in the third quarter valued at $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Catherine R. Clay acquired 2,500 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $431.39 per share, with a total value of $1,078,475.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,078,475. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 1,152 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director directly owned 1,152 shares in the company, valued at $500,002.56. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 5,974 shares of company stock valued at $2,576,775. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:SPGI opened at $418.58 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $425.23 and a 200-day moving average of $466.56. The company has a market cap of $123.90 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.11. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $381.61 and a one year high of $579.05.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.15. S&P Global had a net margin of 30.37% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.37 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a $0.97 dividend. This represents a $3.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on SPGI. Bank of America began coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $575.00 target price for the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $551.00 to $554.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $565.00 target price on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $489.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $546.39.

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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