1,252 Shares in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Acquired by Heritage Trust Co

Heritage Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,252 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $624,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPGI. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 131.0% in the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 700.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of SPGI stock opened at $465.14 on Friday. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $407.69 and a 1-year high of $545.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $145.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.66, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $504.81 and a 200-day moving average of $506.17.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.83%. This is an increase from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s payout ratio is currently 31.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on SPGI. Mizuho began coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $595.14.

S&P Global 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.