32,105 Shares in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Bought by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 32,105 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,001,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Spire at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Spire by 81.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 644 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Spire by 206.6% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,898 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 1,279 shares in the last quarter. Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $205,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $220,000. Finally, Plancorp LLC bought a new position in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $227,000. 87.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Spire Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SR traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $62.20. The company's stock had a trading volume of 356,471 shares, compared to its average volume of 487,044. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $60.47 and a 200 day moving average of $60.29. Spire Inc. has a twelve month low of $53.77 and a twelve month high of $69.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 15.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.50.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $3.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.86 by ($0.41). Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.05%. The company had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.70 earnings per share. Spire's revenue for the quarter was up .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Spire Inc. will post 4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.755 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 11th. This represents a $3.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.86%. Spire's payout ratio is 76.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on SR shares. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of Spire in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Mizuho downgraded Spire from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $64.00 to $62.00 in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Spire from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $61.72.

Insider Activity

In other Spire news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,229 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 $92,944.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.86% of the company's stock.

Spire Company 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.