UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Raises Stake in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp increased its S&P Global stake by 8.9% in the second quarter, holding 50,216 shares valued at approximately $20.45 million. Institutional investors collectively own 87.17% of SPGI shares.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with 18 Buy ratings, one Hold, and one Sell; the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with a target price of $523.59, despite several recent target-price cuts.
• S&P Global exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $4.83 in EPS and $4.15 billion in revenue, while revenue grew 10.4% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share, equivalent to a 0.9% yield.

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 8.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,216 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,090 shares during the quarter. S&P Global accounts for approximately 1.0% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp's holdings in S&P Global were worth $20,451,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPGI. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its holdings in S&P Global by 134.6% during the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 61 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in S&P Global during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of S&P Global from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of S&P Global from $521.00 to $513.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of S&P Global from $555.00 to $530.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $550.00 to $525.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on S&P Global from $555.00 to $553.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $523.59.

S&P Global Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of NYSE SPGI opened at $410.48 on Tuesday. S&P Global Inc. has a 1 year low of $381.61 and a 1 year high of $559.60. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $422.40 and its 200 day moving average price is $427.58. The firm has a market cap of $121.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 0.95.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The business services provider reported $4.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.81 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $4.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 31.37% and a return on equity of 17.74%. S&P Global's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.43 EPS. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 17.500-17.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.75 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.97 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 26th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.69%.

S&P Global 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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