GenTrust LLC Raises Stock Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

GenTrust LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 5.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 728 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the quarter. GenTrust LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $370,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,725,084,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 60,982.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,139,101 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,086,877,000 after acquiring an additional 2,135,599 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth about $527,207,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of S&P Global by 71,024.1% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 619,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $308,525,000 after buying an additional 618,620 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in S&P Global by 19.1% during 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 during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of SPGI opened at $521.29 on Thursday. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $427.14 and a one year high of $545.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $504.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $503.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $159.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.23 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.27% and a return on equity of 14.68%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.01 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.74%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio is presently 30.16%.

Insider Transactions at S&P Global

In other news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total value of $255,215.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,131 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. This trade represents a 8.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SPGI shares. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on S&P Global from $616.00 to $589.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on S&P Global from $629.00 to $603.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on S&P Global from $618.00 to $565.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America began 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 on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on S&P Global from $555.00 to $575.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $592.71.

S&P Global Company 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.