StockNews.com Upgrades Spire (NYSE:SR) to "Hold"

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on SR. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their price target for the company from $65.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $71.50.

Spire Price Performance

SR traded up $0.57 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $71.95. 270,252 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 375,785. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.58. Spire has a one year low of $56.99 and a one year high of $73.64.

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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Spire will post 4.51 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Spire

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SR. Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Spire by 14.3% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 85,316 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,787,000 after acquiring an additional 10,659 shares during the last quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC grew its holdings in Spire by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 268,558 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $18,216,000 after purchasing an additional 11,738 shares during the period. Vestcor Inc bought a new stake in Spire in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $302,000. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in Spire by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 113,550 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $7,702,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter worth $1,030,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Spire Company 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.