JPMorgan Chase & Co. Upgrades Spire (NYSE:SR) to Overweight

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a $85.00 price objective on the utilities provider's stock, up from their previous price objective of $72.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price objective indicates a potential upside of 10.42% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Mizuho upped their target price on Spire from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $76.00.

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Spire Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of Spire stock traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $76.98. 370,000 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 346,041. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. Spire has a twelve month low of $57.27 and a twelve month high of $78.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.28.

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

Institutional Trading of Spire

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SR. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Spire by 29.0% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,022,870 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $69,381,000 after acquiring an additional 229,662 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Spire by 19.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,989 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $338,000 after purchasing an additional 815 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in shares of Spire by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 193,065 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $13,096,000 after purchasing an additional 5,454 shares in the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the fourth quarter valued at $30,083,000. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Spire by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd now owns 9,798 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $665,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. 87.36% of the stock is 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.