US Bancorp DE Sells 16,525 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

US Bancorp DE lessened its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 5.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 268,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 16,525 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $133,542,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SPGI. Swedbank AB increased its holdings 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 worth $450,280,000 after acquiring an additional 92,115 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in S&P Global by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 911 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in S&P Global during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $334,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its holdings in S&P Global by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 1,013 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $523,000 after acquiring an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in S&P Global by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 2,517 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Trading Up 1.7 %

NYSE:SPGI opened at $534.09 on Friday. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $407.69 and a one 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. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $513.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $510.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $164.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.25, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its earnings results 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 previous year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 target price on the stock. 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, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $590.23.

About S&P Global

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.