Spire (NYSE:SR) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.08 EPS

Spire (NYSE:SR) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.08), Zacks reports. Spire had a return on equity of 8.10% and a net margin of 9.52%. Spire updated its FY 2025 guidance to 4.400-4.600 EPS.

Spire Price Performance

Shares of Spire stock traded down $0.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $71.57. 73,151 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 371,025. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a PE ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50-day moving average of $68.93 and a 200 day moving average of $67.02. Spire has a fifty-two week low of $56.99 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 Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.785 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.39%. Spire’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Janney Montgomery Scott began coverage on Spire in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Spire

In related news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the firm’s 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 2,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $178,504.25. This represents a 70.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.33% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.