Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Sells 48,630 Shares of Spire Inc. $SR

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lessened its stake in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 954,632 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 48,630 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 1.62% of Spire worth $78,948,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Community Bank N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Spire by 186.8% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. purchased a new stake in Spire in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Spire during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Spire during the second quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Spire Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SR opened at $91.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $88.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.64. Spire Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $69.94 and a fifty-two week high of $94.27. The firm has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.64.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $762.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $785.54 million. Spire had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 9.43%. Spire’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. Spire has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.650-5.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. Spire’s payout ratio is currently 71.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on SR. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Spire from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Spire from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. UBS Group raised their price target on Spire from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Spire currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $90.70.

Spire Company Profile

Spire Inc (NYSE: SR), formerly known as The Laclede Group, is a regulated natural gas distribution company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its three operating divisions—Spire Missouri, Spire Alabama and Spire Mississippi—the company delivers natural gas to more than 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. Spire’s service territory spans key markets in the central and southern United States, including metropolitan St. Louis, central Alabama and central Mississippi.

Founded in 1857 as the Laclede Gas Light Company, the business has grown through strategic acquisitions, notably Alabama Gas Corporation in 2013 and Mississippi Gas in 2016.