Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 7.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 271,405 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,441 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $135,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,725,084,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $527,207,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of S&P Global by 71,024.1% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 619,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $308,525,000 after acquiring an additional 618,620 shares in the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $144,091,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in S&P Global by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,868,375 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $4,581,580,000 after purchasing an additional 292,436 shares in the last quarter. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $508.95 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market cap of $156.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $515.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $510.30.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.13 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued 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 dividend yield of 0.75%. This is a positive change from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SPGI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup assumed coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 target price for the company. 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 an average price target of $590.86.

S&P Global Company 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.