S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) Given New $600.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) had its price target boosted by Morgan Stanley from $595.00 to $600.00 in a research note published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on SPGI. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $605.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on S&P Global from $536.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $586.85.

S&P Global Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE SPGI opened at $530.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $164.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $506.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $506.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. S&P Global has a 52-week low of $407.69 and a 52-week high of $542.00.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 25.80%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that S&P Global will post 15.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.96 dividend. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. S&P Global’s payout ratio is presently 32.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SPGI. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. First Personal Financial Services purchased a new stake in S&P Global during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.