S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and fourteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $590.86.

SPGI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price objective for the company.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On S&P Global

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SPGI. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC acquired a new position in S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in S&P Global by 131.0% in the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Stock Performance

S&P Global stock opened at $508.48 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $515.34 and a 200-day moving average of $510.02. The company has a market capitalization of $159.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.17, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. S&P Global has a 1 year low of $407.69 and a 1 year high of $545.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a net margin of 27.12% and a return on equity of 14.33%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that S&P Global will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.09%.

S&P Global Company Profile

S&P Global, Inc engages in the provision of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. It operates through the following segments: Market Intelligence, Ratings, Commodity Insights, Mobility, Indices, and Engineering Solutions.