Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Boosts Stock Position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 30.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,127 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 3,260 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank's holdings in Spire were worth $958,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Spire by 87.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Spire by 1,318.4% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Spire during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SR traded up $0.57 during trading on Monday, hitting $76.98. The company had a trading volume of 370,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 346,041. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 12 month low of $57.27 and a 12 month high of $78.83.

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Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.08%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Spire from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Spire from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Spire in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Spire currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.