Principal Financial Group Inc. Lowers Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 360,793 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,944 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.12% of S&P Global worth $179,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the third quarter worth about $27,000. First Personal Financial Services bought a new stake in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of S&P Global by 77.1% during the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 62 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dunhill Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 94.4% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 70 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

S&P Global Trading Down 0.5 %

SPGI stock opened at $539.77 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $167.49 billion, a PE ratio of 47.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $545.39. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $507.39 and its 200 day moving average is $507.42.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a net margin of 25.80% and a return on equity of 13.72%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 15.34 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a $0.96 dividend. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on SPGI shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of S&P Global from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on S&P Global from $600.00 to $585.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on S&P Global from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on S&P Global from $536.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $587.92.

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.