Erste Asset Management GmbH Has $38.11 Million Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Erste Asset Management GmbH reduced its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,193 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,393 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $38,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 94.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 70 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during 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 bought a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Stock Performance

S&P Global stock opened at $478.74 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $514.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $511.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $147.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.76, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. S&P Global Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $407.69 and a fifty-two week high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.96 dividend. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on SPGI. Mizuho started coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, S&P Global has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $590.86.

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.