Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Acquires Shares of 47,000 S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 47,000 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $23,407,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,589,982 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,273,264,000 after acquiring an additional 116,208 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in S&P Global in the 4th quarter worth about $1,725,084,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,276,043 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,631,568,000 after acquiring an additional 525,347 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its stake in S&P Global by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,345,377 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,162,979,000 after purchasing an additional 145,434 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in S&P Global by 11.4% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 2,184,312 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,087,853,000 after acquiring an additional 224,294 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE SPGI opened at $512.09 on Thursday. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $419.49 and a 1-year high of $545.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $486.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $501.96. The company has a market cap of $157.06 billion, a PE ratio of 41.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.23 by $0.14. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The business had revenue of $3.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.01 earnings per share. S&P Global's revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be given a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. S&P Global's payout ratio is 30.16%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SPGI has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $618.00 to $565.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $629.00 to $603.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $592.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other S&P Global news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total transaction of $255,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 5,131 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. The trade was a 8.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

S&P Global 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.

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