PFG Investments LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

PFG Investments LLC decreased its holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,065 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 49 shares during the quarter. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $469,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in S&P Global during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in S&P Global by 45.8% in the 3rd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 86 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC bought a new stake in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC bought a new stake in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $422.81 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $135.41 billion, a PE ratio of 51.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $433.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $410.55. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $329.46 and a one year high of $461.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $3.13 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. S&P Global had a return on equity of 11.34% and a net margin of 21.02%. The business’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.54 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 14 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.86%. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 26th. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.23%.

Insider Activity at S&P Global

In related news, CEO Douglas L. Peterson sold 6,000 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $424.74, for a total transaction of $2,548,440.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 162,530 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $69,032,992.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on SPGI shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $500.00 target price on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of S&P Global from $422.00 to $452.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, S&P Global currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $446.25.

About S&P Global

S&P Global Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. It operates through S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Commodity Insights, S&P Global Mobility, and S&P Dow Jones Indices segments.