S&P Global Inc. $SPGI Shares Acquired by First Merchants Corp

Key Points

• First Merchants Corp increased its stake in S&P Global by 18.4% in the first quarter, buying 3,053 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 19,667 shares worth about $8.37 million.
• S&P Global reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $4.97 topping estimates and revenue of $4.17 billion, up 10.4% from a year earlier.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on the stock, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $545.28, while the company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share.

First Merchants Corp lifted its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 18.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,667 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,053 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp's holdings in S&P Global were worth $8,365,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in S&P Global by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,176 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,582,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in S&P Global by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,038 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC raised its position in shares of S&P Global by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 1,694,790 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $893,511,000 after purchasing an additional 88,526 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $552,000. Finally, Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 17.2% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,212 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,694,000 after buying an additional 472 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SPGI opened at $411.32 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $423.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $456.02. S&P Global Inc. has a 52-week low of $381.61 and a 52-week high of $579.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $121.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.08.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion during 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 business's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $4.37 earnings per share. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on SPGI shares. Evercore cut their price target on shares of S&P Global from $625.00 to $560.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $565.00 target price on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, S&P Global presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $545.28.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 1,152 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average price of $434.03 per share, with a total value of $500,002.56. Following the completion of 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Catherine R. Clay purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $431.39 per share, with a total value of $1,078,475.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,078,475. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased 5,974 shares of company stock valued at $2,576,775 over the last three months. Company 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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