Alta Advisers Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Alta Advisers Ltd grew its position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 15.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,037 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Alta Advisers Ltd’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $516,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SPGI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on S&P Global in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, S&P Global presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $591.86.

S&P Global Stock Down 3.0 %

SPGI stock opened at $448.89 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $497.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $504.02. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $407.69 and a twelve month high of $545.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.88 billion, a PE ratio of 36.35, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 previous year, the company earned $3.13 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

S&P Global Company 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.