Mizuho Initiates Coverage on S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI)

Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) in a report published on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $599.00 target price on the business services provider’s stock.

SPGI has been the subject of several other research reports. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup began coverage on S&P Global in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $590.86.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SPGI opened at $486.67 on Wednesday. S&P Global has a 1-year low of $407.69 and a 1-year high of $545.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $513.56 and a 200-day moving average of $510.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $149.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.41, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that S&P Global will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.79%. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

Institutional Trading of S&P Global

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in shares of S&P Global by 131.0% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

About S&P Global

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.