Spire (NYSE:SR) Downgraded to “Neutral” at Mizuho

Mizuho lowered shares of Spire (NYSE:SR) from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. Mizuho currently has $62.00 target price on the utilities provider’s stock, down from their previous target price of $64.00.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH assumed coverage on Spire in a report on Friday, April 26th. They set a neutral rating and a $57.50 price target for the company. UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued a buy rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a sector perform rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $61.72.

Spire Trading Down 0.6 %

SR traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $61.31. 441,248 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 371,742. The company has a market cap of $3.54 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $60.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.10. Spire has a 1-year low of $53.77 and a 1-year high of $69.99.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $3.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.86 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.21 billion. Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.05%. The firm’s revenue was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.70 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Spire will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, June 11th will be issued a $0.755 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 11th. This represents a $3.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.93%. Spire’s payout ratio is 76.26%.

Insider Transactions at Spire

In other news, insider Joseph B. Hampton sold 1,294 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.13, for a total value of $75,220.22. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 6,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $393,423.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Joseph B. Hampton sold 1,294 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.13, for a total value of $75,220.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $393,423.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,229 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.58, for a total transaction of $73,223.82. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,944.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Spire by 81.9% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 644 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire in the first quarter valued at about $37,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Spire by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 887 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Spire by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,349 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Spire by 206.6% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,898 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,279 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.