Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Acquires 29,036 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. boosted its position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 5.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 532,572 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 29,036 shares during the quarter. S&P Global makes up about 3.9% of Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $275,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SPGI. Dupont Capital Management Corp grew its stake in S&P Global by 27.1% in the first quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp now owns 28,249 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,019,000 after purchasing an additional 6,025 shares in the last quarter. Twin Tree Management LP bought a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 1st quarter worth approximately $74,000. Nwam LLC boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 45.5% during the 1st quarter. Nwam LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $446,000 after acquiring an additional 326 shares during the period. M&G Plc bought a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 1st quarter worth approximately $20,725,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 255.1% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 9,861 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,195,000 after acquiring an additional 7,084 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of S&P Global stock traded down $7.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $503.29. 1,187,616 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,209,144. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $401.79 and a 1-year high of $533.29. The company has a market cap of $156.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.42, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $510.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $478.74.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The business services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.64 by $0.25. S&P Global had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 25.80%. The company had revenue of $3.58 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.43 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.21 EPS. S&P Global’s revenue was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 15.25 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.72%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on SPGI shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on S&P Global from $605.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on S&P Global from $536.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on S&P Global from $589.00 to $564.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on S&P Global from $575.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $571.31.

About S&P Global

S&P Global Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. It operates through S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Commodity Insights, S&P Global Mobility, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and S&P Global Engineering Solutions segments.