S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Shares Sold by Meitav Investment House Ltd.

Meitav Investment House Ltd. cut its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 44.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,809 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,925 shares during the quarter. Meitav Investment House Ltd.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $2,395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 163.5% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 224 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its stake in S&P Global by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 871,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $450,280,000 after purchasing an additional 92,115 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 3.2% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 911 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of S&P Global by 23.2% in the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 610 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global during the third quarter valued at $27,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $542.61 on Thursday. S&P Global Inc. has a 52-week low of $407.69 and a 52-week high of $545.39. The company has a market cap of $167.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $509.06 and its 200-day moving average is $508.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 prior year, the business earned $3.13 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is 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 presently 31.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on S&P Global from $536.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $590.23.

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.