Sanctuary Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 16,775 Spire Inc. $SR

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake of 16,775 shares in Spire (NYSE:SR) during Q4, valued at about $1.39 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 87.36% of the company.
• Spire posted quarterly EPS of $1.77, beating estimates by $0.15, with revenue up 13.9% year‑over‑year to $762.2 million; analysts project about 5.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.825 per share (annualized $3.30), implying a ~3.7% yield with an ex‑dividend date of June 11 and payment on July 2; the dividend payout ratio is ~71.7%.

Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 16,775 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,387,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in Spire in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in Spire in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Optima Capital LLC bought a new stake in Spire in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Spire by 186.8% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. bought a new stake in Spire in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Stock Performance

SR stock opened at $90.27 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $91.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.58. The company has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.56. Spire Inc. has a 12 month low of $69.94 and a 12 month high of $95.31.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $762.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $785.54 million. Spire had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 9.43%. Spire's quarterly revenue was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 5.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio is currently 71.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Spire from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $99.00 target price on shares of Spire in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Spire from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Spire in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $101.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.11.

About Spire

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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