Zacks Research Has Positive Outlook of Spire FY2027 Earnings

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2027 EPS estimates for Spire in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, January 28th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the utilities provider will earn $5.14 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $5.10. The consensus estimate for Spire's current full-year earnings is $4.51 per share.

SR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered shares of Spire from a "neutral" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their target price for the company from $65.50 to $60.50 in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised Spire from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $65.00 to $76.00 in a report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $71.50.

Spire Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of SR stock traded down $0.65 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $70.99. 731,544 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 357,162. Spire has a 1 year low of $56.36 and a 1 year high of $73.64. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.05 and a 200 day moving average of $66.85. The firm has a market cap of $4.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.47, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Spire

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Spire by 1.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,154,230 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $214,535,000 after acquiring an additional 44,969 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Spire by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,385,452 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $93,244,000 after purchasing an additional 71,798 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Spire by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 805,932 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $54,231,000 after purchasing an additional 36,214 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its holdings in Spire by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 646,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $43,483,000 after buying an additional 1,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Spire during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,228,000. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the treasurer now owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,544.89. The trade was a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $73.61 per share, for a total transaction of $73,610.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 2,425 shares in the company, valued at $178,504.25. This trade represents a 70.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 2.33% of the company's stock.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. Spire's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.85%.

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.