Raymond James & Associates Purchases 10,722 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) by 1.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 762,998 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 10,722 shares during the quarter. Raymond James & Associates owned about 0.24% of S&P Global worth $394,180,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SPGI. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,383 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,812,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in S&P Global by 3.5% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 12,069 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,135,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC bought a new position in S&P Global during the first quarter worth about $207,000. MJP Associates Inc. ADV bought a new position in S&P Global during the first quarter worth about $300,000. Finally, City State Bank raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 6.7% in the first quarter. City State Bank now owns 717 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $305,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SPGI traded up $5.84 on Friday, reaching $524.80. 1,831,979 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,199,105. The company has a fifty day moving average of $512.21 and a 200-day moving average of $468.18. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $340.49 and a twelve month high of $533.29. The company has a market capitalization of $164.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.83, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The business services provider reported $4.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.67 by $0.37. S&P Global had a net margin of 25.03% and a return on equity of 13.03%. The firm had revenue of $3.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.12 EPS. The business's revenue was up 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 14.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.69%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is 40.81%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Steven J. Kemps sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.55, for a total value of $1,327,185.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 1,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at $715,205.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other S&P Global news, EVP Steven J. Kemps sold 2,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $491.55, for a total transaction of $1,327,185.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,455 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $715,205.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Douglas L. Peterson sold 7,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.60, for a total transaction of $3,385,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 154,912 shares in the company, valued at $74,915,443.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 17,862 shares of company stock worth $8,645,727. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on SPGI. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $505.00 to $555.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $550.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $575.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $537.00 to $589.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $550.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $565.17.

S&P Global Profile

S&P Global Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. It operates through S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Commodity Insights, S&P Global Mobility, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and S&P Global Engineering Solutions segments.