Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Purchases Shares of 36,794 Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH has acquired 36,794 shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR) in the first quarter, now holding approximately 0.06% of the company valued at about $2.88 million.
• Spire's shares experienced a **1.7% increase**, reaching $74.07, with a market cap of $4.37 billion and a P/E ratio of 18.24.
• Recent earnings showed Spire missed analysts' estimates, reporting earnings per share of **$3.60**, below the consensus estimate of $3.70, with quarterly revenue down 6.8% year-over-year.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 36,794 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,879,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.06% of Spire as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Spire by 1.7% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,870 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $616,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in Spire by 3.2% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 4,915 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in Spire by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 6,027 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $409,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Spire by 21.7% during the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 914 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its position in Spire by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 9,050 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Spire Stock Performance

SR traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $74.27. 749,459 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 520,728. The company's 50-day moving average is $74.29 and its 200 day moving average is $74.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.38 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.62. Spire Inc. has a 52 week low of $61.56 and a 52 week high of $79.81.

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

Spire Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be given a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Spire in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Spire from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $78.60.

About Spire

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.