Wills Financial Group LLC Buys Shares of 9,102 S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Key Points

• Wills Financial Group LLC has acquired 9,102 shares of S&P Global Inc., valued at approximately $4.6 million, which now represents 2.1% of its investment portfolio.
• Analyst ratings for S&P Global vary, with UBS and Wells Fargo raising their price targets significantly, while others have lowered theirs, resulting in a general consensus of a "Moderate Buy."
• S&P Global reported impressive quarterly earnings with $4.43 EPS and 5.8% revenue growth year-over-year, exceeding analyst expectations.

Wills Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 9,102 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $4,624,000. S&P Global accounts for 2.1% of Wills Financial Group LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,040,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $2,139,000 after purchasing an additional 708 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in S&P Global by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 86,794 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $44,102,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares during the period. Alaethes Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,029,000. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $5,513,000 after purchasing an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of SPGI stock traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $563.03. 1,462,586 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,103,098. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $427.14 and a 12 month high of $566.13. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $521.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $509.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $171.89 billion, a PE ratio of 43.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.19.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $4.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.18 by $0.25. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.30% and a return on equity of 15.11%. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $4.04 EPS. The business's revenue was up 5.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 26th. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is 29.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SPGI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Argus raised S&P Global to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Barclays increased their price target on S&P Global from $610.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on S&P Global from $575.00 to $625.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on S&P Global from $575.00 to $620.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $611.69.

About S&P Global

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.