Lokken Investment Group LLC Cuts Holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Lokken Investment Group LLC trimmed its position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,546 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 37 shares during the period. Lokken Investment Group LLC’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $1,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPGI. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in S&P Global by 131.0% in the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC boosted its stake in S&P Global by 94.4% in the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 70 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in S&P Global by 700.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on SPGI. Citigroup began coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Mizuho started coverage on S&P Global in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on S&P Global from $590.00 to $580.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $590.86.

S&P Global Price Performance

SPGI stock opened at $508.48 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $515.34 and a 200-day moving average of $510.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $159.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. S&P Global Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $545.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $3.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.96 per share. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. S&P Global’s payout ratio is presently 31.09%.

About S&P Global

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.