Merit Financial Group LLC Raises Stock Holdings in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 7.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,168 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,972 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $13,223,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of S&P Global by 6.6% during the 3rd quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 955 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $465,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Calamos Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in S&P Global by 32.2% during the third quarter. Calamos Wealth Management LLC now owns 34,566 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,824,000 after purchasing an additional 8,416 shares in the last quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of S&P Global by 1.4% during the third quarter. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,790 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,791,000 after buying an additional 107 shares during the period. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of S&P Global by 4.6% during the third quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 732 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $356,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Finally, Smith Salley Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 1.4% in the third quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 38,886 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,926,000 after buying an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $527.06 on Wednesday. S&P Global Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $427.14 and a fifty-two week high of $579.05. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $498.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $515.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $159.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.19.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 28th. The business services provider reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter. S&P Global had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 15.90%. The company had revenue of $1.87 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities research analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on SPGI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on S&P Global from $635.00 to $615.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of S&P Global from $637.00 to $643.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Monday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $546.00 target price on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and sixteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $614.93.

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.