S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• S&P Global has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with 17 buy ratings and one hold among 18 covering firms. The average 12-month price target is about $546.39.
• Several analysts recently adjusted their views, including Barclays, Morgan Stanley, UBS, and BMO Capital Markets, with targets ranging roughly from $489 to $565. Some firms lowered targets, but the overall sentiment remains positive.
• Insiders and institutions have been active buyers: CEO Martina Cheung and Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz recently purchased shares, while institutional ownership stands at 87.17%. The company also reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings and declared a $0.97 quarterly dividend.

S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $546.3889.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $565.00 price target on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $489.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of S&P Global from $556.00 to $557.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of S&P Global from $620.00 to $550.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of S&P Global from $482.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other S&P Global news, CEO Martina Cheung bought 2,322 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $429.93 per share, with a total value of $998,297.46. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,518 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $11,830,813.74. The trade was a 9.22% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 1,152 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $434.03 per share, for a total transaction of $500,002.56. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,152 shares of the company's stock, valued at $500,002.56. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired 5,974 shares of company stock valued at $2,576,775 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On S&P Global

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SPGI. Norges Bank bought a new position in S&P Global in the fourth quarter worth about $2,398,991,000. EdgePoint Investment Group Inc. bought a new position in S&P Global in the first quarter worth about $702,911,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 858.3% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 1,760,230 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $919,879,000 after acquiring an additional 1,576,544 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 2,256.7% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,446,633 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $755,996,000 after acquiring an additional 1,385,249 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soroban Capital Partners LP lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 260.3% in the first quarter. Soroban Capital Partners LP now owns 1,688,643 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $718,247,000 after acquiring an additional 1,219,990 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of SPGI stock opened at $418.58 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a current ratio of 0.68. S&P Global has a one year low of $381.61 and a one year high of $579.05. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $425.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $466.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $123.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.49, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.11.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.15. S&P Global had a net margin of 30.37% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.37 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that S&P Global will post 19.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be issued a $0.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $3.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.56%.

About S&P Global

S&P Global is a leading provider of financial information, analytics and benchmark indices that serve investors, issuers, corporations and public institutions worldwide. The company operates through well-known businesses that include credit ratings, market intelligence and index licensing, as well as commodity and energy information services. Its products and services are used to assess creditworthiness, inform investment decisions, construct and track benchmark portfolios, and support risk and commodity market analysis.

S&P Global Ratings provides independent credit ratings, research and data used by fixed income investors and capital market participants to evaluate issuer and transaction risk.

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