Spire (NYSE:SR) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

Spire (NYSE:SR) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Tuesday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Spire from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $83.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on Spire in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on Spire in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.00.

Spire Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:SR traded up $0.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $76.42. 434,511 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 341,461. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $72.69 and its 200-day moving average is $68.97. Spire has a 12-month low of $57.27 and a 12-month high of $78.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.70%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Spire will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Spire

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Spire during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Spire during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Spire by 87.2% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Spire during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Spire by 1,318.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Spire Company Profile

Spire Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the purchase, retail distribution, and sale of natural gas to residential, commercial, industrial, and other end-users of natural gas in the United States. The company operates through three segments: Gas Utility, Gas Marketing, and Midstream. It is also involved in the marketing of natural gas and related services; and transportation and storage of natural gas.