Analysts’ Recent Ratings Updates for Spire (SR)

Posted by Patrick Bannon on Dec 27th, 2024

A number of research firms have changed their ratings and price targets for Spire (NYSE: SR):

12/24/2024 – Spire was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating.
12/20/2024 – Spire was upgraded by analysts at Mizuho from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating. They now have a $76.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $65.00.
12/17/2024 – Spire is now covered by analysts at Janney Montgomery Scott. They set a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock.
12/13/2024 – Spire is now covered by analysts at Bank of America Co.. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price target on the stock.
11/29/2024 – Spire was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating.
11/22/2024 – Spire had its price target lowered by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $70.00 to $69.00. They now have a “hold” rating on the stock.
11/22/2024 – Spire had its price target lowered by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $77.00 to $75.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
11/21/2024 – Spire was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating.
11/21/2024 – Spire had its price target raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $73.00 to $75.00. They now have an “equal weight” rating on the stock.
11/21/2024 – Spire had its price target raised by analysts at UBS Group AG from $75.00 to $80.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
11/19/2024 – Spire had its price target raised by analysts at Mizuho from $62.00 to $65.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.

Spire Price Performance

Shares of Spire stock traded down $0.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $67.12. 160,466 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 410,180. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.88 billion, a PE ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50-day moving average of $67.60 and a 200 day moving average of $65.22. Spire Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $56.36 and a fifty-two week high of $73.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Spire Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $3.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This is a positive change from Spire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. This represents a $12.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 18.71%. Spire’s payout ratio is presently 72.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $178,504.25. This trade represents a 70.18 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of Spire stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total transaction of $77,590.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at $174,544.89. This trade represents a 30.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spire

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new position in Spire during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,228,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Spire by 290.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 130,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,877,000 after buying an additional 97,358 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Spire by 8.3% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 944,387 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $57,351,000 after acquiring an additional 72,119 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Spire by 5.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,385,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $93,244,000 after acquiring an additional 71,798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Spire by 11.0% during the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 698,819 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,439,000 after purchasing an additional 69,020 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

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.