Kingsview Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 46,177 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,132,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC owned about 0.08% of Spire as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Spire by 1.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,154,230 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $214,535,000 after buying an additional 44,969 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 valued at $93,244,000 after purchasing an additional 71,798 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Spire by 4.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 805,932 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,231,000 after purchasing an additional 36,214 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Spire by 0.3% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 646,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $43,483,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Spire during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,228,000. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Spire Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of SR traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $73.35. 292,104 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 370,517. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Spire Inc. has a 1-year low of $57.13 and a 1-year high of $73.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a PE ratio of 17.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $68.93 and a 200-day moving average of $67.18.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (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%. Analysts expect that Spire Inc. will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire's payout ratio is 76.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on SR shares. Mizuho upgraded Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $65.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group upped their price target on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. StockNews.com raised Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered Spire from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $65.50 to $60.50 in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.50.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 transaction of $77,590.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,544.89. This trade represents a 30.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price 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. Insiders own 2.33% of the company's stock.

About Spire

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.