S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Shares Sold by Kestra Investment Management LLC

Kestra Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 25.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,900 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 652 shares during the quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC's holdings in S&P Global were worth $947,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in S&P Global by 3.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,868,375 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,581,580,000 after buying an additional 292,436 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in S&P Global by 1.8% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,473,774 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,332,016,000 after purchasing an additional 113,146 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in S&P Global by 6.6% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 5,965,369 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,081,830,000 after purchasing an additional 369,598 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in S&P Global by 1.1% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,713,617 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,401,909,000 after purchasing an additional 28,458 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in S&P Global by 1.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,936,697 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,000,536,000 after purchasing an additional 26,300 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SPGI has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com lowered S&P Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on S&P Global from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, S&P Global currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $590.23.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SPGI traded down $2.38 during trading on Friday, reaching $533.05. The stock had a trading volume of 1,335,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,359,665. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $407.69 and a one year high of $545.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $164.07 billion, a PE ratio of 43.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.20. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $509.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $508.60.

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

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. This is an increase from S&P Global's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global's payout ratio is presently 29.47%.

About S&P Global

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.