Aviva PLC Trims Stock Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Aviva PLC decreased its position in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 324,739 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 3,976 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned approximately 0.10% of S&P Global worth $161,730,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in SPGI. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $49,407,000. Lynwood Price Capital Management LP purchased a new position in S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth $6,126,000. Prudential PLC increased its stake in S&P Global by 69.6% in the fourth quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 52,618 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,205,000 after purchasing an additional 21,588 shares during the period. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Arete Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 524 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $261,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 18,569 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,248,000 after buying an additional 1,689 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SPGI opened at $451.47 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $513.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $509.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.69 billion, a PE ratio of 36.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $545.39.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share (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 firm posted $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were paid a $0.96 dividend. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This is an increase from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SPGI. UBS Group boosted their price target on S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. StockNews.com lowered S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, S&P Global presently has an average 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.