Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Bought by Fmr LLC

Fmr LLC raised its holdings in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 10.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,547 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 502 shares during the period. Fmr LLC’s holdings in Spire were worth $373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Spire during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in Spire by 1,318.4% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Spire by 26.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co boosted 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 in the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho raised their target price on Spire from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Spire from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $70.28.

Spire Price Performance

Shares of SR opened at $65.55 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.21, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.57. Spire Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $56.36 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. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $67.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.00.

Spire Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $3.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $12.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 19.16%. This is a positive change from Spire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.85%.

Insider Activity

In other Spire news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the business’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 transaction of $77,590.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the treasurer now owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at $174,544.89. The trade was a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 1,000 shares of Spire stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $73.61 per share, for a total transaction of $73,610.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,425 shares in the company, valued at approximately $178,504.25. This represents a 70.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 2.86% of the company’s stock.

About Spire

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.