Optimize Financial Inc Buys Shares of 654 S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Optimize Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 654 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $326,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its position in S&P Global by 131.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its holdings in S&P Global by 700.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on SPGI. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of S&P Global from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on S&P Global from $618.00 to $565.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on S&P Global from $633.00 to $607.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $591.86.

S&P Global Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of S&P Global stock traded down $1.43 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $462.55. The stock had a trading volume of 913,056 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,241,127. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. S&P Global Inc. has a 1 year low of $407.69 and a 1 year high of $545.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $145.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $500.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $504.95.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company earned $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a $0.96 dividend. This is an increase from S&P Global's previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.83%. S&P Global's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

S&P Global Profile

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.