S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) Given New $640.00 Price Target at UBS Group

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) had its price objective raised by UBS Group from $610.00 to $640.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on SPGI. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on S&P Global from $599.00 to $608.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $600.00 to $585.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, S&P Global currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $590.23.

S&P Global Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of SPGI opened at $543.08 on Tuesday. S&P Global has a one year low of $407.69 and a one year high of $545.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $507.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $507.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $168.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.93, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.20.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.41 by $0.36. S&P Global had a net margin of 25.80% and a return on equity of 13.72%. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that S&P Global will post 15.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.96 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.71%. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.13%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 163.5% during the third quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 224 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the period. Swedbank AB raised its position in S&P Global by 11.8% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 871,588 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $450,280,000 after buying an additional 92,115 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its position in S&P Global by 3.2% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 911 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $471,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in S&P Global by 23.2% during the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 610 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN grew its stake in S&P Global by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 3,272 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,690,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

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.