Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Makes New $494,000 Investment in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 973 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $494,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPGI. Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $14,040,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 20.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,210 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,139,000 after acquiring an additional 708 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 86,794 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $44,102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Alaethes Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $2,029,000. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC grew its position in S&P Global by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,850 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $5,513,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $567.00 to $592.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Argus raised shares of S&P Global to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of S&P Global from $616.00 to $589.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on S&P Global from $629.00 to $603.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on S&P Global from $575.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, S&P Global currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $601.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at S&P Global

In related news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total transaction of $255,215.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 5,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. This trade represents a 8.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

S&P Global Stock Performance

NYSE:SPGI traded up $5.79 on Thursday, hitting $531.45. The stock had a trading volume of 1,023,989 shares, compared to its average volume of 973,974. The stock has a market cap of $163.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $518.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $507.07. S&P Global Inc. has a 52-week low of $427.14 and a 52-week high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.23 by $0.14. S&P Global had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 27.27%. The business had revenue of $3.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.72 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.01 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be given a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 26th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. S&P Global's payout ratio is currently 30.16%.

S&P Global Company Profile

S&P Global, Inc engages in the provision of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. It operates through the following segments: Market Intelligence, Ratings, Commodity Insights, Mobility, Indices, and Engineering Solutions.