Westerkirk Capital Inc. Takes $2.92 Million Position in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Key Points

• Westerkirk Capital opened a new position in S&P Global, buying 5,594 shares valued at about $2.92 million in the fourth quarter.
• S&P Global’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $4.97 versus $4.82 estimated and revenue of $4.17 billion, up 10.4% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.97 per share, while analysts remain generally positive overall with a Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $546.39.

Westerkirk Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,594 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,923,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Troy Asset Management Ltd raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Troy Asset Management Ltd now owns 41,706 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $21,795,000 after purchasing an additional 8,652 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 13.4% during the third quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 124,659 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $60,673,000 after purchasing an additional 14,700 shares in the last quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the third quarter valued at about $89,401,000. First Merchants Corp raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 16,614 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,682,000 after purchasing an additional 2,733 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 111.0% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 10,029 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,881,000 after purchasing an additional 5,275 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of S&P Global stock opened at $417.22 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company's 50-day moving average price is $424.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $460.68. S&P Global Inc. has a 52 week low of $381.61 and a 52 week high of $579.05. The stock has a market cap of $123.50 billion, a PE ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $4.37 earnings per share. S&P Global's revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a $0.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. S&P Global's payout ratio is 24.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of S&P Global from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Daiwa Securities Group cut their price objective on shares of 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. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $585.00 to $540.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $482.00 to $495.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Evercore cut their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $625.00 to $560.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, S&P Global presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $546.39.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Martina Cheung acquired 2,322 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $429.93 per share, for a total transaction of $998,297.46. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 27,518 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,830,813.74. This represents a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 1,152 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $434.03 per share, for a total transaction of $500,002.56. Following the acquisition, the director owned 1,152 shares in the company, valued at approximately $500,002.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.