Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Decreases Stock Holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lowered its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,045 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,593 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $14,963,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new stake in S&P Global during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position 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 worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 700.0% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 72 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global during the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Price Performance

Shares of S&P Global stock opened at $504.00 on Tuesday. 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 Inc. has a 12 month low of $407.69 and a 12 month high of $545.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $514.28 and a 200 day moving average of $510.31. The firm has a market cap of $155.13 billion, a PE ratio of 40.81, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $3.13 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a $0.96 dividend. This is an increase from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.09%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup assumed coverage on S&P Global in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $600.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of S&P Global from $610.00 to $640.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $590.86.

S&P Global Company Profile

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.