Brokerages Set Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) PT at $94.50

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twelve analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.50.

Several research analysts recently commented on SR shares. Weiss Ratings raised Spire from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. BTIG Research set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $85.00 target price (up from $84.00) on shares of Spire in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Spire from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on Spire from $106.00 to $103.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Ryan L. Hyman sold 3,822 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.51, for a total transaction of $307,709.22. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,295 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,150,890.45. The trade was a 21.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $78.46 per share, with a total value of $39,230.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $627,680. This trade represents a 6.67% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 2.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Spire

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Optima Capital LLC bought a new position in Spire in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Spire during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, SHP Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Spire Trading Down 0.1%

Spire stock opened at $82.86 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market cap of $4.90 billion, a PE ratio of 9.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $80.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $85.89. Spire has a one year low of $73.91 and a one year high of $95.31.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported ($0.26) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.06. Spire had a return on equity of 8.65% and a net margin of 21.48%.The firm had revenue of $420.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $394.62 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Spire has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Spire will post 4.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Spire’s payout ratio is presently 36.79%.

About Spire

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.