DnB Asset Management AS Raises Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

DnB Asset Management AS raised its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 259,003 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,802 shares during the quarter. S&P Global accounts for 0.6% of DnB Asset Management AS's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. DnB Asset Management AS owned about 0.08% of S&P Global worth $128,991,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of SPGI. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its position in S&P Global by 3.2% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 911 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 591 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $305,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in S&P Global by 471.1% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 217 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in S&P Global by 8.2% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,519 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $3,368,000 after acquiring an additional 492 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in S&P Global in the third quarter worth $2,520,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

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S&P Global Trading Up 1.2 %

SPGI stock traded up $5.97 during trading on Monday, reaching $508.48. 1,276,943 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,385,348. The business's 50 day moving average price is $515.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $510.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $159.58 billion, a PE ratio of 41.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. S&P Global Inc. has a 52-week low of $407.69 and a 52-week high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm 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 represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is an increase from S&P Global's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of S&P Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho initiated coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $599.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.