Spire (NYSE:SR) SVP Sells $307,709.22 in Stock

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) SVP Ryan Hyman sold 3,822 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.51, for a total value of $307,709.22. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,150,890.45. The trade was a 21.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Spire Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of SR traded up $0.53 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $80.78. 257,792 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 393,779. The firm has a market cap of $4.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $87.06. Spire Inc. has a 12-month low of $71.24 and a 12-month high of $95.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $3.76 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.72 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.07 billion. Spire had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 13.97%.Spire’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.60 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Spire Inc. will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SR. Morgan Stanley set a $96.00 price target on Spire in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Spire from $106.00 to $103.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut Spire from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on Spire in a research report on Monday, May 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $96.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.22.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Spire

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Community Bank N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Optima Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Spire by 186.8% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the period. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Spire Company Profile

Spire Inc (NYSE: SR), formerly known as The Laclede Group, is a regulated natural gas distribution company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its three operating divisions—Spire Missouri, Spire Alabama and Spire Mississippi—the company delivers natural gas to more than 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. Spire’s service territory spans key markets in the central and southern United States, including metropolitan St. Louis, central Alabama and central Mississippi.

Founded in 1857 as the Laclede Gas Light Company, the business has grown through strategic acquisitions, notably Alabama Gas Corporation in 2013 and Mississippi Gas in 2016.