Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Lowers Stake in Spire Inc. $SR

Key Points

• Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Spire Inc. by 23.8%, owning 2,457,227 shares after selling 765,928 shares, with Spire making up 0.7% of their portfolio.
• Spire announced a quarterly dividend of $0.785, translating to an annualized dividend of $3.14 and a yield of 4.1%, with a payout ratio of 67.82%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Spire, with an average rating of "Hold" and a price target of $79.20, while the company's recent earnings report showed a profit of $0.01 per share, beating estimates.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 23.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,457,227 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 765,928 shares during the period. Spire comprises approximately 0.7% of Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 4.16% of Spire worth $192,278,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Spire by 103.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 803 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Spire by 2.6% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 177,950 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $13,925,000 after purchasing an additional 4,576 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Spire by 16.9% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,833 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Spire during the first quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Spire by 27.4% during the first quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,938 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $230,000 after buying an additional 631 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of NYSE:SR traded up $1.9150 during trading on Friday, reaching $77.9150. The company's stock had a trading volume of 523,384 shares, compared to its average volume of 566,992. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. Spire Inc. has a 12 month low of $61.56 and a 12 month high of $79.81. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $74.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.60 billion, a PE ratio of 16.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.66.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.10. Spire had a net margin of 11.56% and a return on equity of 8.66%. The firm had revenue of $421.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $417.27 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.14) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Spire has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.400-4.60 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.785 per share. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 11th. Spire's payout ratio is presently 67.82%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Spire from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Spire from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an "underperform" rating and set a $76.00 price objective (down previously from $81.00) on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $79.20.

Spire Company 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.