S&P Global Inc. $SPGI Shares Acquired by AlphaQuest LLC

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC boosted its S&P Global stake by 461.9% in the fourth quarter, ending with 3,096 shares valued at about $1.62 million.
• Analysts remain generally bullish on the stock, with 17 Buy ratings and one Hold, giving S&P Global a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $546.39.
• S&P Global reported better-than-expected Q1 results, posting EPS of $4.97 on revenue of $4.17 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share.

AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 461.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,096 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,545 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $1,618,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bleakley Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the fourth quarter valued at $5,786,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its position in S&P Global by 171.0% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 989 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $517,000 after buying an additional 624 shares during the period. Allstate Corp raised its position in S&P Global by 106.1% during the fourth quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 23,301 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,177,000 after buying an additional 11,998 shares during the period. Summitry LLC raised its position in S&P Global by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 1,052 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in S&P Global by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 8,817 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,608,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America assumed coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $575.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on S&P Global from $556.00 to $557.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their price target on S&P Global from $585.00 to $540.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $565.00 price target on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $546.39.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SPGI opened at $415.34 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $122.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.11. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $424.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $464.87. S&P Global Inc. has a 52 week low of $381.61 and a 52 week high of $579.05.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.82 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. S&P Global had a return on equity of 17.26% and a net margin of 30.37%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.37 EPS. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Martina Cheung acquired 2,322 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $429.93 per share, with a total value of $998,297.46. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 27,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,830,813.74. The trade was a 9.22% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 1,152 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $434.03 per share, for a total transaction of $500,002.56. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,152 shares in the company, valued at $500,002.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have purchased 5,974 shares of company stock valued at $2,576,775. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Company Profile

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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