Congress Asset Management Co. Buys 3,758 Shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Congress Asset Management Co. raised its position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 64,097 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 3,758 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. owned 0.11% of Spire worth $4,348,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Spire by 87.2% during 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 last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Spire by 1,318.4% during the 3rd 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 shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Spire

In related news, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 2,425 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $178,504.25. The trade was a 70.18 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of Spire stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total transaction of $77,590.50. Following the sale, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares of the company's stock, valued at $174,544.89. This represents a 30.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.33% of the company's stock.

Spire Stock Performance

SR traded up $1.17 on Friday, hitting $75.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 454,867 shares, compared to its average volume of 377,864. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $69.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Spire Inc. has a 12 month low of $57.27 and a 12 month high of $75.70. The firm has a market cap of $4.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.58.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last announced 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 9.70% and a return on equity of 7.88%. Analysts forecast that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire's payout ratio is 76.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Mizuho upgraded shares of Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $65.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $71.50.

About Spire

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.