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

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 15.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 613,560 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 113,980 shares during the quarter. S&P Global comprises 1.4% of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $305,571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of S&P Global by 52.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 658,766 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $328,632,000 after buying an additional 225,370 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 12.6% during the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 27,598 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,198,000 after buying an additional 3,093 shares during the period. Eastern Bank raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 50,157 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $24,980,000 after purchasing an additional 1,530 shares in the last quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 37,746 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $18,799,000 after purchasing an additional 6,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new position in S&P Global in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,170,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

S&P Global stock opened at $502.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $515.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $510.14. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $545.39. The stock has a market capitalization of $157.65 billion, a PE ratio of 40.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.13 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.76%. This is an increase from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target 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. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, S&P Global presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $590.86.

S&P Global 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.