Handelsbanken Fonder AB Raises Stock Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 172,334 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 17,066 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned 0.06% of S&P Global worth $85,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 77.1% during the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 62 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SPGI traded down $2.38 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $533.05. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,335,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,359,665. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $509.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $508.60. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $407.69 and a one year high of $545.39. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $164.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company earned $3.13 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be given a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is a positive change from S&P Global's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global's payout ratio is 29.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SPGI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $536.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, S&P Global currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $590.23.

S&P Global 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.