Spire (NYSE:SR) Releases Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.10 EPS

Key Points

• Spire (NYSE:SR) reported earnings of $0.01 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.15, compared to a loss of ($0.14) EPS in the same quarter last year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.785 per share, which will yield approximately 4.2% annually, with a payout ratio of 77.34%.
• A number of analysts have various ratings for Spire, with an average rating of "Hold" and a target price of $78.60, indicating moderate growth expectations.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) announced its earnings results on Tuesday. The utilities provider reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.10, Zacks reports. Spire had a return on equity of 8.66% and a net margin of 11.56%. The business had revenue of $421.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $417.27 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.14) EPS. Spire's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Spire updated its FY 2025 guidance to 4.400-4.60 EPS.

Spire Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SR traded up $0.33 during trading on Friday, hitting $76.03. 496,052 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 597,294. The company has a market cap of $4.49 billion, a PE ratio of 16.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.66. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $74.36 and a 200 day moving average of $74.80. Spire has a 52-week low of $61.56 and a 52-week high of $79.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.34.

Spire Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.785 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 11th. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Spire's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Spire from $75.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underperform" rating on shares of Spire in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $81.00 price target on Spire and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Spire has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $78.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spire

A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Spire stock. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 10.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 212,438 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,373 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 0.36% of Spire worth $16,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

About Spire

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.