Erste Asset Management GmbH Sells 4,393 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Erste Asset Management GmbH decreased its holdings in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 5.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 76,193 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 4,393 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $38,113,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of SPGI. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 871,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $450,280,000 after buying an additional 92,115 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 911 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $471,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in S&P Global by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,298 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $671,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Verus Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter worth $221,000. Finally, Savvy Advisors Inc. bought a new position in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter worth $285,000. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE SPGI opened at $478.74 on Thursday. S&P Global Inc. has a 12-month low of $407.69 and a 12-month high of $545.39. The stock has a market cap of $147.36 billion, a PE ratio of 38.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. 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 50-day moving average of $514.13 and a 200 day moving average of $511.23.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business posted $3.13 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on SPGI shares. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Wednesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, S&P Global has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $590.86.

S&P Global Company 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.