Vanderbilt University Acquires Shares of 12,537 S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• Vanderbilt University opened a new position in S&P Global, buying 12,537 shares valued at about $5.33 million, making the stock its 17th-largest holding.
• Institutional ownership remains strong, with 87.17% of S&P Global shares held by hedge funds and other investors. Several funds added to their positions, and insiders also bought stock recently.
• S&P Global reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $4.97 on revenue of $4.17 billion, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $545.28.

Vanderbilt University acquired a new position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 12,537 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,332,000. S&P Global makes up 1.0% of Vanderbilt University's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SPGI. YANKCOM Partnership increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 259 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 19 shares during the period. LeConte Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in S&P Global by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. LeConte Wealth Management LLC now owns 511 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 632 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 148 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Embree Financial Group boosted its position in S&P Global by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Embree Financial Group now owns 1,090 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $570,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SPGI shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded S&P Global from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Evercore lowered their target price on S&P Global from $625.00 to $560.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price target on S&P Global from $490.00 to $485.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on S&P Global from $556.00 to $557.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $545.28.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Martina Cheung acquired 2,322 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $429.93 per share, for a total transaction of $998,297.46. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 1,152 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $434.03 per share, for a total transaction 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. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:SPGI opened at $402.58 on Thursday. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $381.61 and a one year high of $579.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $422.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $454.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.48, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.08.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.82 by $0.15. S&P Global had a net margin of 30.37% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.37 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 26th will be paid a $0.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 26th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is presently 24.56%.

About S&P Global

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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