Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Sold by Pacer Advisors Inc.

Pacer Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 40.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,612 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 5,863 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Spire were worth $584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Spire in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Spire by 87.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of Spire by 1,318.4% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co raised its stake in shares of Spire by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Spire by 38.9% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,057 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut Spire from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $65.50 to $60.50 in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on Spire in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Spire in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Spire currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $71.50.

Spire Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SR traded down $0.96 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $71.31. The company's stock had a trading volume of 409,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 385,269. The company has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.58. Spire Inc. has a 12-month low of $56.99 and a 12-month high of $73.64. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $68.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $67.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.45.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a net margin of 9.52% and a return on equity of 8.10%. On average, analysts forecast that Spire Inc. will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.785 per share. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire's payout ratio is presently 72.85%.

Insider Activity at Spire

In other news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total value of $77,590.50. Following the sale, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $174,544.89. The trade was a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was bought at an average price of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,425 shares in the company, valued at $178,504.25. The trade was a 70.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Spire Profile

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.