Spire (NYSE:SR) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

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

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

Spire Price Performance

Shares of Spire stock opened at $67.11 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.30. Spire has a one year low of $56.36 and a one year high of $73.64. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.57.

Insider Activity at Spire

In related news, Director Paul D. Koonce purchased 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 2,425 shares in the company, valued at $178,504.25. This trade represents a 70.18 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total value of $77,590.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Spire by 5.2% during 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 during the period. Creative Planning lifted its position in Spire by 2.7% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,126 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the period. Missouri Trust & Investment Co grew its position in Spire by 28.6% in the 3rd 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. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Spire by 4.5% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Spire by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,057 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

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.