Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Purchased by William Blair Investment Management LLC

William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 2.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 460,769 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,109 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 0.79% of Spire worth $31,254,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Spire in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Spire by 87.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Spire by 1,318.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Spire Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of Spire stock opened at $76.42 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Spire Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $57.27 and a fifty-two week high of $78.80. The business’s fifty day moving average is $72.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.97. The firm has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a PE ratio of 18.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.70%. Analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.785 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.11%. Spire’s payout ratio is 76.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on SR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Spire from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $83.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America began coverage on Spire in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Spire presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $74.00.

Spire 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.