Proficio Capital Partners LLC Makes New Investment in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 23,469 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,592,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in shares of Spire by 33.1% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,557 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Spire by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 112,750 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,587,000 after buying an additional 4,600 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Spire by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 24,186 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,627,000 after buying an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 3rd quarter valued at $790,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Stock Performance

Spire stock traded down $1.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $76.31. 898,892 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 345,944. The stock has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 0.50. Spire Inc. has a 52-week low of $57.27 and a 52-week high of $78.83. The firm's 50 day moving average is $73.30 and its 200 day moving average is $69.18.

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Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.70%. Analysts predict that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Spire from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Spire from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $72.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Thursday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $76.00.

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.