14,773 Shares in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Bought by Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 14,773 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $994,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Spire by 26.8% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 761 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Spire by 5.2% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,572 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $240,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares during the period. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Spire by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,126 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co lifted its stake in shares of Spire by 28.6% in the 3rd quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Spire by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,327 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of SR traded down $0.41 on Friday, reaching $67.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 259,780 shares, compared to its average volume of 409,502. Spire Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.36 and a twelve month high of $73.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.71, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $67.24 and a 200-day moving average of $64.86.

Spire Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $3.14 dividend. This represents a $12.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 18.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This is a positive change from Spire's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.85%.

Insider Activity at Spire

In other Spire news, Director Paul D. Koonce bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $73.61 per share, for a total transaction of $73,610.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,425 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $178,504.25. This represents a 70.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Spire from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, November 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Friday. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Spire from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $69.94.

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.