Groupama Asset Managment Boosts Stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Groupama Asset Managment lifted its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 0.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 14,650 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $7,296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in S&P Global in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew 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 worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 94.4% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 70 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global by 700.0% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $510.66 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $515.35 and a 200 day moving average of $509.96. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a market capitalization of $160.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. S&P Global Inc. has a 52 week low of $407.69 and a 52 week high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.96 dividend. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on SPGI. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, S&P Global currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.