Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 37,751 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,561,000. Wealthfront Advisers LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Spire at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SR. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Spire by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,572 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Spire by 87.2% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Spire by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,308 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its holdings in Spire by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 3,406 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Spire by 26.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,337 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $90,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms have recently commented on SR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Spire to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Spire in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Spire from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.67.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Spire
Spire Trading Up 0.9 %
NYSE SR traded up $0.68 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $76.99. The stock had a trading volume of 359,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 341,176. The company has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a PE ratio of 18.64, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. 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 50 day moving average price of $72.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $68.97. Spire Inc. has a twelve month low of $57.27 and a twelve month high of $78.80.
Spire (NYSE:SR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts forecast that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.
Spire Cuts Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.08%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire's dividend payout ratio is currently 76.03%.
About Spire
(
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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