Bank of Nova Scotia Acquires 133,018 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Bank of Nova Scotia raised its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 129.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 235,560 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 133,018 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia owned approximately 0.08% of S&P Global worth $117,347,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SPGI. EWA LLC raised its position in shares of S&P Global by 4.2% during the third quarter. EWA LLC now owns 498 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in S&P Global by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 1,544 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $788,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in S&P Global by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,034 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $515,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of S&P Global by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 674 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 108 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company's stock.

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S&P Global Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SPGI traded up $7.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $465.14. 1,045,172 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,243,325. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $545.39. The company has a market cap of $145.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $504.81 and a 200-day moving average price of $506.14.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.96 dividend. 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. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on shares of S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Mizuho began coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $599.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup began coverage on 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $595.14.

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.