Intech Investment Management LLC Increases Position in Spire Inc. $SR

Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 189.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 75,767 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 49,615 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Spire were worth $6,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SR. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Spire in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Spire by 186.8% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in Spire in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Spire from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $101.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Spire from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Spire from $106.00 to $103.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Spire

In related news, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $85.81 per share, for a total transaction of $171,620.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 7,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $600,670. The trade was a 40.00% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Spire Price Performance

Spire stock opened at $82.42 on Friday. Spire Inc. has a 12-month low of $71.24 and a 12-month high of $95.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.56. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $89.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.72 by $0.04. Spire had a net margin of 13.97% and a return on equity of 9.49%. The company had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.07 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Spire Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.00%.

Key Spire News

Here are the key news stories impacting Spire this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several longer-term earnings forecasts for Spire, including FY2028 EPS to $6.03 from $5.92 and Q2 2027 EPS to $4.29 from $3.92, suggesting improved profit expectations over time. Spire analyst estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: Another report said Spire is benefiting from expanding regulated operations, including adding about 200,000 Tennessee customers and focusing more on core utility assets, which could support steadier earnings. Zacks article on regulated growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts at American Banking News said Spire has a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” which reinforces a generally favorable Street view but does not by itself change near-term fundamentals. Consensus recommendation article
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also cut multiple near- and medium-term EPS estimates, including Q4 2026, Q3 2027, Q1 2027, FY2027, Q2 2028 and Q3 2027, signaling some softness in earnings expectations around the next few years. Spire analyst estimate reductions
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary also pointed to “unusual guidance” and a sell-off, indicating investors were disappointed by the outlook even though Spire recently beat EPS on its latest earnings release. Seeking Alpha sell-off article

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.