North Star Asset Management Inc. Purchases 5,422 Shares of S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• North Star Asset Management increased its stake in S&P Global by 70.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 5,422 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 13,150 shares worth about $6.87 million.
• Insiders have been buying shares as well, with CEO Catherine R. Clay and CEO Martina Cheung together purchasing more than 4,800 shares in recent transactions.
• S&P Global reported solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.9%.

North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 70.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,150 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,422 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in S&P Global were worth $6,872,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 134.6% in the 4th quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 61 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 3rd quarter valued at about $36,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 171.4% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at S&P Global

In other S&P Global news, CEO Catherine R. Clay purchased 2,500 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were bought at an average price of $431.39 per share, for a total transaction of $1,078,475.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,078,475. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Martina Cheung purchased 2,322 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 27,518 shares in the company, valued at $11,830,813.74. This trade represents a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired a total of 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $418.58 on Friday. S&P Global Inc. has a 1 year low of $381.61 and a 1 year high of $579.05. The company has a market cap of $123.90 billion, a PE ratio of 26.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.11. 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 stock's 50-day moving average is $425.23 and its 200 day moving average is $466.77.

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

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.97 per share. This represents a $3.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. S&P Global's payout ratio is currently 24.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SPGI. Mizuho boosted their target price on S&P Global from $551.00 to $554.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered their target price on S&P Global from $585.00 to $540.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Bank of America began coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $575.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on S&P Global from $530.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $546.39.

About S&P Global

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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