S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Stake Boosted by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 3.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 49,946 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,512 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $22,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 7.8% in the 4th quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 1,152 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $507,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 7,908 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,484,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,401 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,820,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 30.4% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,758 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $774,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Performance

SPGI opened at $513.24 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $481.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $446.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The stock has a market cap of $160.59 billion, a PE ratio of 57.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.16. S&P Global Inc. has a 1 year low of $340.49 and a 1 year high of $514.00.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $4.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.67 by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 25.03% and a return on equity of 13.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.12 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 14.57 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 27th will be given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 27th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on SPGI shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on S&P Global from $500.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 5th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on S&P Global from $486.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. UBS Group upped their target price on S&P Global from $505.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $520.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $530.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $530.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at S&P Global

In other news, Director Robert P. Kelly sold 7,662 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.28, for a total transaction of $3,687,567.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,618,662.40. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, EVP Steven J. Kemps sold 2,700 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $491.55, for a total value of $1,327,185.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,455 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $715,205.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Robert P. Kelly sold 7,662 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $481.28, for a total transaction of $3,687,567.36. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 15,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,618,662.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 17,862 shares of company stock worth $8,645,727 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Profile

S&P Global Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. It operates through S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Commodity Insights, S&P Global Mobility, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and S&P Global Engineering Solutions segments.