StockNews.com Upgrades Spire (NYSE:SR) to “Hold”

Spire (NYSE:SR) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Thursday.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Spire in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Mizuho upgraded shares of Spire from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $65.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $71.50.

Spire Stock Performance

Shares of SR stock opened at $71.31 on Thursday. Spire has a 12 month low of $56.99 and a 12 month high of $73.64. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $68.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.02. The firm has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.58. 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 (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 8.10% and a net margin of 9.52%. Equities research analysts expect that Spire will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Spire news, Director Paul D. Koonce purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $73.61 per share, for a total transaction of $73,610.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $178,504.25. The trade was a 70.18 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 completion of the sale, the treasurer now owns 2,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $174,544.89. This trade represents a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.33% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spire

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Spire by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its holdings in shares of Spire by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,126 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co increased its position in shares of Spire by 28.6% in the third quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Spire by 87.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Spire by 4.5% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,327 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $358,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the period. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Spire Company 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.