Golden State Wealth Management LLC Boosts Holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 543.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 631 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 533 shares during the quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $321,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 131.0% in the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Stock Performance

NYSE:SPGI traded up $3.21 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $518.23. 2,251,581 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,237,935. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $427.14 and a 1-year high of $545.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $158.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a 50-day moving average of $506.39 and a 200 day moving average of $503.56.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.23 by $0.14. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 14.68%. The company had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.01 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 26th. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.16%.

Insider Transactions at S&P Global

In related news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total value of $255,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,131 shares in the company, valued at $2,619,016.33. This trade represents a 8.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of S&P Global from $616.00 to $589.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $607.00 to $627.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Argus raised shares of S&P Global to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $599.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of S&P Global from $618.00 to $565.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $592.71.

About S&P Global

S&P Global, Inc engages in the provision of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. It operates through the following segments: Market Intelligence, Ratings, Commodity Insights, Mobility, Indices, and Engineering Solutions.