Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Buys New Position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 34,170 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,130,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.06% of Spire at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in shares of Spire by 81.9% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 644 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its position in Spire by 817.5% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 578 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 515 shares in the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. raised its position in Spire by 31.8% during the first quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 639 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd bought a new stake in Spire during the third quarter worth $65,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in Spire by 159.2% during the first quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 616 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Spire from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $61.43.

Spire Price Performance

Spire stock traded down $0.52 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $59.90. 289,983 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 532,861. The company has a market cap of $3.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Spire Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.77 and a twelve month high of $72.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $59.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.69.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The utilities provider reported $1.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $756.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $688.88 million. Spire had a net margin of 8.11% and a return on equity of 8.27%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.55 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Spire Inc. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 11th were issued a $0.755 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 8th. This represents a $3.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.04%. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.40%.

Insider Transactions at Spire

In related news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,229 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.58, for a total value of $73,223.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now owns 1,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,944.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Joseph B. Hampton sold 1,294 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.13, for a total value of $75,220.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 6,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $393,423.84. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,229 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.58, for a total transaction of $73,223.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now owns 1,560 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $92,944.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.86% of the company's stock.

Spire Profile

Spire Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the purchase, retail distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and other end-users of natural gas in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Gas Utility, Gas Marketing, and Midstream. It is also involved in the marketing of natural gas and related services; and transportation and storage of natural gas.