Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Decreases Stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc trimmed its position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 364,353 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 32,395 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.12% of S&P Global worth $181,459,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eastern Bank increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,157 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $24,980,000 after buying an additional 1,530 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in S&P Global by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 37,746 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $18,799,000 after acquiring an additional 6,051 shares during the period. Synergy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in S&P Global by 110.8% during the fourth quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 23,868 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,066,000 after acquiring an additional 12,547 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its holdings in S&P Global by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 21,496 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,705,000 after purchasing an additional 7,170 shares during the period. Finally, James Hambro & Partners LLP lifted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. James Hambro & Partners LLP now owns 217,029 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $108,173,000 after purchasing an additional 1,899 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $507.60 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $486.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $501.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $155.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.10, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.23. S&P Global Inc. has a 52-week low of $419.49 and a 52-week high of $545.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The business services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.23 by $0.14. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The company had revenue of $3.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.01 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 28th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 28th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.76%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.16%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on SPGI shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on S&P Global from $629.00 to $603.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Mizuho initiated coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $618.00 to $565.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $592.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sally Moore sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $510.43, for a total value of $255,215.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 5,131 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,619,016.33. This represents a 8.88 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.