S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Short Interest Down 15.8% in March

S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,660,000 shares, a decrease of 15.8% from the March 15th total of 3,160,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,450,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.8 days. Currently, 0.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

S&P Global Stock Performance

SPGI opened at $466.75 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $496.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $503.76. S&P Global has a 1 year low of $407.69 and a 1 year high of $545.39. The company has a market capitalization of $146.49 billion, a PE ratio of 37.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.13 EPS. Research analysts expect that S&P Global will post 17.11 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.82%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On S&P Global

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SPGI. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 131.0% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SPGI shares. Mizuho started coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price target for the company. 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 research note on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of S&P Global from $633.00 to $607.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $591.86.

About S&P Global

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.