Adam W. Woodard Sells 1,150 Shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Stock

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total value of $77,590.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at $174,544.89. This represents a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Spire Stock Performance

NYSE SR opened at $64.46 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Spire Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.36 and a 1 year high of $73.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 14.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.57.

Spire Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $3.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $12.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 19.48%. This is a boost from Spire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spire

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SR. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Spire in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Spire during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Spire by 1,318.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Spire by 26.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co raised its stake in Spire by 28.6% in the third quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on SR shares. Janney Montgomery Scott initiated coverage on Spire in a research note on Tuesday. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Spire from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Spire has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.28.

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.