S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Short Interest Update

S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,620,000 shares, an increase of 25.3% from the February 13th total of 2,890,000 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SPGI traded up $7.89 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $494.38. 1,168,277 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,148,650. The company has a market cap of $152.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.03, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $513.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $510.89. S&P Global has a 52 week low of $407.69 and a 52 week high of $545.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last released its earnings results 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 business posted $3.13 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that S&P Global will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. 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 dividend payout ratio is 31.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Mizuho began coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective 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, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer dropped their price target on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, S&P Global has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $590.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On S&P Global

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.