S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Shares Purchased by First Financial Bankshares Inc

First Financial Bankshares Inc boosted its position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,255 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $14,570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $604,000. Vinva Investment Management Ltd lifted its position in S&P Global by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd now owns 15,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,916,000 after buying an additional 1,193 shares in the last quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd boosted its stake in S&P Global by 11.6% during the fourth quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 17,064 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $8,507,000 after buying an additional 1,776 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in S&P Global by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 49,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $24,648,000 after buying an additional 3,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth about $18,817,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

S&P Global stock opened at $490.26 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $513.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $510.73. The stock has a market cap of $150.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. S&P Global Inc. has a 12-month low of $407.69 and a 12-month high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 previous year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.78%. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of 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. Mizuho began coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price target on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $590.86.

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.