Quantbot Technologies LP Buys New Holdings in Spire Inc. $SR

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies acquired 21,451 Spire shares worth approximately $1.675 million, while institutional investors collectively own 87.36% of the utility company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with Spire carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $94, above its reported trading price of $82.39.
• Spire exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reported 19.2% year-over-year revenue growth, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.825 per share, representing a 4.0% annualized yield.

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 21,451 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,675,000.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. SHP Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Spire during the 2nd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Spire during the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. 87.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Spire

In other news, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $78.46 per share, with a total value of $39,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $627,680. This represents a 6.67% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Ryan L. Hyman sold 3,822 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.51, for a total transaction of $307,709.22. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,150,890.45. This trade represents a 21.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 2.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SR has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Spire from $106.00 to $103.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Monday, May 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $96.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $88.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $85.00 target price (up from $84.00) on shares of Spire in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, BTIG Research set a $101.00 target price on Spire in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $94.00.

Spire Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of SR opened at $82.39 on Tuesday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $80.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.19, a PEG ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. Spire Inc. has a 1-year low of $73.91 and a 1-year high of $95.31.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.32) by $0.06. Spire had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 8.65%. The company had revenue of $420.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $394.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.01 earnings per share. Spire's revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. Spire has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 4.01 EPS for the current year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. Spire's dividend payout ratio is 36.79%.

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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