Gabelli Funds LLC Sells 4,179 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Gabelli Funds LLC lessened its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 132,303 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,179 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $65,891,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in S&P Global in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in S&P Global by 131.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in S&P Global by 700.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of S&P Global stock opened at $471.68 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $503.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $505.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $148.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.19, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $3.13 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio is 31.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on SPGI shares. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, S&P Global currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $595.14.

S&P Global 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.