First National Trust Co Buys 305 Shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

First National Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,099 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 305 shares during the period. First National Trust Co’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $7,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Carret Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in S&P Global by 13.7% in the 4th quarter. Carret Asset Management LLC now owns 2,263 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,127,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Postrock Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter worth $2,592,000. Intact Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of S&P Global by 19.5% during the 4th quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,700 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,345,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. LBP AM SA grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 24.4% in the fourth quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 86,656 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $43,157,000 after buying an additional 16,979 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,980,000. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Performance

NYSE:SPGI opened at $479.51 on Friday. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $407.69 and a 1-year high of $545.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $147.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.83, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $513.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $511.01.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.96 per share. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on SPGI shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup assumed coverage on S&P Global in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on shares of S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.