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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Spire (NYSE:SR - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on SR. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho upgraded shares of Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $65.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Spire from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $83.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Spire has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $76.00.

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Spire Stock Performance

SR stock traded down $1.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $76.31. 898,892 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 345,944. The stock has a market cap of $4.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. 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 stock's 50-day moving average is $73.30 and its 200 day moving average is $69.18. Spire has a 52-week low of $57.27 and a 52-week high of $78.83.

Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Spire will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be paid a $0.785 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.11%. Spire's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of 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 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Spire during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Spire by 1,318.4% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.