S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to "Hold"

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Citigroup started coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on S&P Global from $536.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. UBS Group upped their price objective on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on S&P Global from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer reduced their price target on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $590.23.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of SPGI stock traded down $3.42 on Thursday, hitting $532.02. 436,801 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,332,881. S&P Global has a one year low of $407.69 and a one year high of $545.39. The firm's 50 day moving average is $509.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $508.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $163.75 billion, a PE ratio of 43.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that S&P Global will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On S&P Global

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SPGI. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 52.0% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 658,766 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $328,632,000 after buying an additional 225,370 shares in the last quarter. GDS Wealth Management increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 7.0% during the third quarter. GDS Wealth Management now owns 27,358 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $14,134,000 after purchasing an additional 1,801 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 12.6% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 27,598 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $14,198,000 after purchasing an additional 3,093 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,157 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $24,980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,170,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company's stock.

S&P Global Company 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.