Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report)'s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $76.80 and last traded at $76.43, with a volume of 529215 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $75.64.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms have weighed in on SR. Mizuho raised shares of Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $65.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Spire in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut Spire from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Spire from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $83.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Spire
Spire Stock Performance
The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.57 and a 200-day moving average of $68.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $4.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.88, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.58.
Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 7.88%. Research analysts predict that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Spire Cuts Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.785 per share. This represents a $3.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.03%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Spire
In other news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total value of $77,590.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.33% of the company's stock.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SR. Creative Planning raised its position in shares of Spire by 2.7% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,126 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Spire by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,174 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 619 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its holdings in Spire by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 6,733 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Spire by 4.7% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,756 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 531 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Spire during the third quarter worth $206,000. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Spire Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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