S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Shares Sold by United Capital Financial Advisors LLC

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC lessened its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 8.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 102,825 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,002 shares during the period. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $51,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $471.68 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $148.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $503.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $505.85. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.13 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This is an increase from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. S&P Global’s payout ratio is 31.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on SPGI. StockNews.com downgraded shares of S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group upped their price objective on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, S&P Global presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.