Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Bought by Jones Financial Companies Lllp

Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 91.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,922 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,744 shares during the quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp's holdings in Spire were worth $673,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Spire during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Spire by 87.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Spire by 1,318.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Spire during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Spire from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $83.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America began coverage on Spire in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.00.

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Spire Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE SR traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $74.78. The company had a trading volume of 534,126 shares, compared to its average volume of 404,815. The firm's 50 day moving average is $72.01 and its 200 day moving average is $68.65. The company has a market capitalization of $4.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. Spire Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $57.27 and a fifty-two week high of $78.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.37.

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

Spire Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.785 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.20%. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.03%.

Insider Activity at Spire

In related news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total value of $77,590.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now owns 2,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $174,544.89. This represents a 30.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.33% of the company's stock.

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.