Spire (SR) to Release Earnings on Wednesday

Spire (NYSE:SR) is expected to be issuing its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Wednesday, February 5th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.42 per share and revenue of $796.11 million for the quarter. Individual that are interested in participating in the company’s earnings conference call can do so using this link.

Spire Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE SR opened at $71.37 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The business’s 50 day moving average is $69.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.87. Spire has a 52-week low of $56.99 and a 52-week high of $73.64. The firm has a market cap of $4.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.58.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.785 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.40%. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is presently 72.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on SR shares. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Spire from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $71.50.

Insider Activity at Spire

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

About Spire

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.