15,181 Shares in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Acquired by Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 15,181 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,030,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SR. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Spire by 5.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,385,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $93,244,000 after acquiring an additional 71,798 shares during the last quarter. Cynosure Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,067,000. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire in the third quarter valued at approximately $790,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Spire by 4.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 805,932 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,231,000 after purchasing an additional 36,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of Spire by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $156,000 after purchasing an additional 750 shares during the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Spire Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE SR traded up $0.57 on Monday, reaching $76.98. The stock had a trading volume of 370,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 346,041. Spire Inc. has a 12-month low of $57.27 and a 12-month high of $78.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $73.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53.

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Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.70%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.785 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.08%. Spire's payout ratio is 76.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $72.00 to $85.00 in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Spire from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Spire presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.00.

Spire 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.