Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Stock Position Raised by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 449.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,810 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 9,659 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Spire were worth $924,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SR. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its position in shares of Spire by 431.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 627 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming bought a new position in Spire during the fourth quarter worth $52,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Spire by 66.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 727 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares during the period. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Spire in the fourth quarter worth $68,000. 87.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Spire from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Spire from $67.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Spire from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $77.40.

Spire Price Performance

NYSE:SR traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $72.82. 818,157 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 403,439. The company has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Spire Inc. has a one year low of $58.27 and a one year high of $79.81. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $74.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $73.13.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $3.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.70 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.15 billion. Spire had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 8.49%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.45 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 11th will be issued a $0.785 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 11th. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.31%. Spire's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.34%.

Spire Profile

Spire Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the purchase, retail distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and other end-users of natural gas in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Gas Utility, Gas Marketing, and Midstream. It is also involved in the marketing of natural gas and related services; and transportation and storage of natural gas.