Stifel Nicolaus Has Lowered Expectations for Spire (NYSE:SR) Stock Price

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by investment analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $70.00 to $69.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "hold" rating on the utilities provider's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price target indicates a potential downside of 4.89% from the company's current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on SR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered shares of Spire from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $65.50 to $60.50 in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Spire from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group raised their target price on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Spire from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Thursday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Spire currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $68.06.

Spire Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:SR traded up $1.89 during trading on Friday, reaching $72.55. 500,350 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 353,650. Spire has a 1-year low of $56.36 and a 1-year high of $72.71. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $65.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.52.

Institutional Trading of Spire

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SR. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the third quarter worth $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Spire during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 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 acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Spire in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Spire by 26.8% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 761 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.