S&P Global Inc. $SPGI Shares Sold by Townsquare Capital LLC

Key Points

• Townsquare Capital LLC cut its S&P Global stake by 36.7% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,713 shares and ending with 4,676 shares worth about $2.44 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive overall: 17 analysts rate S&P Global a Buy and one a Hold, with an average target price of $546.39. Several firms lowered or raised price targets recently, but the stock still carries a “Moderate Buy” consensus.
• S&P Global reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and recently paid a $0.97 quarterly dividend. The company also saw insider buying from both its director and CEO in late April.

Townsquare Capital LLC decreased its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 36.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,676 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 2,713 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $2,444,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SPGI. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in S&P Global by 211.9% during the fourth quarter. Wellspring Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,193 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,146,000 after buying an additional 1,490 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT grew its stake in S&P Global by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 9,978 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,214,000 after buying an additional 374 shares during the period. J.Safra Asset Management Corp grew its stake in S&P Global by 165.0% during the fourth quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 159 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the period. Wills Financial Group LLC grew its stake in S&P Global by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Wills Financial Group LLC now owns 8,667 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,529,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC grew its stake in S&P Global by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 31,798 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $16,617,000 after buying an additional 1,151 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SPGI shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $489.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Daiwa Securities Group decreased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $490.00 to $485.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $575.00 price objective for the company. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $546.39.

Insider Activity at S&P Global

In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz purchased 1,152 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $434.03 per share, with a total value of $500,002.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,152 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $500,002.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Martina Cheung purchased 2,322 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $429.93 per share, for a total transaction of $998,297.46. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at $11,830,813.74. This represents a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased 5,974 shares of company stock valued at $2,576,775 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of SPGI stock opened at $427.06 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $126.41 billion, a PE ratio of 27.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $425.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $459.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $381.61 and a twelve month high of $579.05.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 30.37% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 29th were paid a $0.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is 24.56%.

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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