Inspire Advisors LLC Acquires 11,995 Shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Key Points

• Inspire Advisors LLC increased its stake in Spire Inc. by 42.2% during the first quarter, owning 40,423 shares valued at approximately $3.16 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have also adjusted their holdings, with 87.36% of the company's stock now owned by such entities.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed opinions on Spire's stock, with an average rating of "Hold" and a revised target price of $78.60.

Inspire Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 42.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 11,995 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of Spire worth $3,163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SR. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Spire in the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Spire by 66.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 727 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Spire by 103.8% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 803 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Spire in the 4th quarter worth approximately $68,000. Finally, Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Spire by 21.7% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 914 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Spire from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underperform" rating on shares of Spire in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Wall Street Zen raised Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $81.00 price objective on Spire and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Spire currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $78.60.

Spire Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE SR traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $76.42. 342,321 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 414,633. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company's 50 day moving average price is $74.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $74.40. Spire Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.56 and a 12 month high of $79.81.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The utilities provider reported $3.60 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.70 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.15 billion. Spire had a net margin of 10.22% and a return on equity of 8.49%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.45 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Profile

Spire Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the purchase, retail distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and other end-users of natural gas in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Gas Utility, Gas Marketing, and Midstream. It is also involved in the marketing of natural gas and related services; and transportation and storage of natural gas.