Spire (NYSE:SR) Upgraded at Mizuho

Spire (NYSE:SR) was upgraded by stock analysts at Mizuho from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $76.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock, up from their prior price target of $65.00. Mizuho’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 15.94% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on SR. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. StockNews.com downgraded Spire from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 29th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $71.50.

Spire Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:SR opened at $65.55 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.00. Spire has a twelve month low of $56.36 and a twelve month high of $73.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The company has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a PE ratio of 15.21, a P/E/G ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.57.

Insider Activity at Spire

In other Spire news, Director Paul D. Koonce purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were purchased 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 represents a 70.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total value of $77,590.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now owns 2,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $174,544.89. The trade was a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spire

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Spire in the second quarter valued at about $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Spire by 1,318.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Spire by 26.8% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co boosted its stake in shares of Spire by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.