Spire Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:SR)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity: Investors bought 4,995 call options on Spire, a surge of approximately 41,525% above the stock's average call volume, indicating strong bullish interest in the short term.
• Solid quarterly results and dividend: Spire beat EPS estimates with $1.77 (vs. $1.62), reported 13.9% YoY revenue growth, and its shares traded up 1.7% to $93.85; the company pays a $0.825 quarterly dividend (≈3.5% yield).
• Analyst sentiment: Analysts are broadly positive — two Strong Buy, six Buy and three Hold — with recent price targets raised into the high $90s/$100 and an average target of $92.78.

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors purchased 4,995 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 41,525% compared to the average volume of 12 call options.

Spire Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:SR traded up $1.57 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $93.85. 123,965 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 376,461. The stock has a market cap of $5.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.60. Spire has a fifty-two week low of $69.94 and a fifty-two week high of $94.46. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $89.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.15. Spire had a return on equity of 9.43% and a net margin of 10.95%.The firm had revenue of $762.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $785.54 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. Spire has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.650-5.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Spire will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. Spire's payout ratio is currently 71.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Spire from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $99.00 price target on shares of Spire in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Spire from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Spire from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $92.78.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Community Bank N.A. bought a new position in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Optima Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Spire by 186.8% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Spire Company Profile

Spire Inc NYSE: SR, formerly known as The Laclede Group, is a regulated natural gas distribution company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its three operating divisions—Spire Missouri, Spire Alabama and Spire Mississippi—the company delivers natural gas to more than 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. Spire's service territory spans key markets in the central and southern United States, including metropolitan St. Louis, central Alabama and central Mississippi.

Founded in 1857 as the Laclede Gas Light Company, the business has grown through strategic acquisitions, notably Alabama Gas Corporation in 2013 and Mississippi Gas in 2016.

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