KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Takes Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS bought a new position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 125,438 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $62,472,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Swedbank AB grew its position in shares of S&P Global by 11.8% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 871,588 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $450,280,000 after purchasing an additional 92,115 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its stake in S&P Global by 3.2% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 911 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC grew its position in S&P Global by 18.4% in the third quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 450 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its stake in S&P Global by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 3,923 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,027,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 4.9% during the third quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 48,194 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $24,898,000 after buying an additional 2,269 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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S&P Global Stock Up 1.6 %

SPGI stock traded up $7.95 on Tuesday, hitting $511.89. 482,917 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,155,440. The stock has a market cap of $157.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. S&P Global Inc. has a 12-month low of $407.69 and a 12-month high of $545.39. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $514.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $510.31.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a boost 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 0.75%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on SPGI shares. StockNews.com lowered S&P Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. 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 report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $590.86.

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.