S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Shares Acquired by Hartford Funds Management Co LLC

Hartford Funds Management Co LLC increased its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 9.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 835 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SPGI. Swedbank AB raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 11.8% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 871,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $450,280,000 after acquiring an additional 92,115 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in S&P Global by 3.2% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 911 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in S&P Global in the third quarter valued at $73,000. United Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in S&P Global in the third quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC purchased a new position in S&P Global in the third quarter valued at $212,000. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Stock Performance

NYSE SPGI opened at $514.13 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. S&P Global Inc. has a 52-week low of $407.69 and a 52-week high of $545.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $515.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $511.48. The firm has a market cap of $158.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company earned $3.13 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.75%. This is an increase from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price 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 increased their target price on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $590.23.

S&P Global Company 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.