S&P Global Inc. $SPGI Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Key Points

• Franklin Resources reduced its stake in S&P Global by 17.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 199,140 shares and leaving it with 937,783 shares worth about $490.1 million.
• S&P Global reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $4.97 versus estimates of $4.82 and revenue of $4.17 billion versus $4.08 billion expected. The company also raised its FY 2026 guidance to $19.40-$19.65 EPS.
• Despite some price-target cuts, analysts remain largely bullish on SPGI, with 17 Buy ratings and a consensus target price of $546.39. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share, payable on June 10.

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 17.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 937,783 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 199,140 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.31% of S&P Global worth $490,076,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its holdings in S&P Global by 134.6% in the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 61 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 171.4% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 76 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

SPGI stock opened at $417.22 on Tuesday. S&P Global Inc. has a 1 year low of $381.61 and a 1 year high of $579.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.50 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $424.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $460.68.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.82 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.37 earnings per share. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.97 dividend. 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on SPGI. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $489.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of S&P Global from $530.00 to $525.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $556.00 to $557.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $575.00 price target on the stock. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $546.39.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Martina Cheung purchased 2,322 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $429.93 per share, with a total value of $998,297.46. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,830,813.74. This represents a 9.22% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Catherine R. Clay purchased 2,500 shares of the business's 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 acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,078,475. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 5,974 shares of company stock worth $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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