Spire (NYSE:SR) Shares Break Below 50 Day Moving Average - Here's Why

Key Points

• Spire shares slipped below their 50-day moving average, trading as low as $80.43 versus the $80.60 average, while the stock’s 200-day average stood at $83.08.
• Analysts remain generally positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $92.50 price target. Recent views range from BTIG’s $102 target and “Buy” rating to Scotiabank’s “Sector Perform” rating and $79 target.
• Spire reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with revenue up 19.2% year over year, and maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.825, representing a 4.0% annualized yield.

Shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $80.60 and traded as low as $80.43. Spire shares last traded at $82.2150, with a volume of 456,344 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on SR shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $102.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Spire from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Scotiabank began coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. They issued a "sector perform" rating and a $79.00 target price for the company. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $88.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Spire from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $92.50.

Spire Stock Up 1.8%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.08. The stock has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.52.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.06. The business had revenue of $420.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $394.62 million. Spire had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 8.65%. Spire's revenue was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.01 earnings per share. Spire has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Spire Inc. will post 4.00 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a $0.8250 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Spire's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Detalus Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Spire by 2.3% in the first quarter. Detalus Advisors LLC now owns 6,200 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. BTC Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Spire by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,719 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Spire by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Spire by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 16,282 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Spire by 53.8% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 655 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Spire Company Profile

Spire Inc is a diversified natural gas company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its regulated utility operations, the company distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Missouri and Alabama.

Spire's business includes natural gas distribution, gas storage and transportation, and related energy services. Its operations also include natural gas marketing and midstream activities, which support the delivery and management of natural gas for utility and other customers.

The company traces its history to 1857, when it was established as Laclede Gas Light Company.

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.