Inspire Investing LLC Lowers Stock Position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Inspire Investing LLC trimmed its position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 44.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,993 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,852 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in Spire were worth $407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 71,798 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter valued at about $787,000. Cynosure Group LLC acquired a new stake in Spire in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,067,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Spire by 116.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 28,025 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,886,000 after acquiring an additional 15,060 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in shares of Spire by 175.5% during the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 15,637 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,052,000 after acquiring an additional 9,962 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Stock Performance

Shares of Spire stock traded up $0.23 on Friday, hitting $69.62. The stock had a trading volume of 257,773 shares, compared to its average volume of 276,946. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Spire Inc. has a 52-week low of $56.36 and a 52-week high of $73.64. The company's 50 day moving average price is $68.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.56. The stock has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.57.

Spire Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th were issued a $3.14 dividend. This represents a $12.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 18.04%. This is a boost from Spire's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio is presently 72.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SR. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $65.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Spire from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 19th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut Spire from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $65.50 to $60.50 in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $71.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Spire

In other Spire news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total transaction of $77,590.50. Following the sale, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,544.89. The trade was a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,425 shares of the company's stock, valued at $178,504.25. This represents a 70.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.