StockNews.com Upgrades Spire (NYSE:SR) to “Hold”

Spire (NYSE:SR) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Thursday.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Spire to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Spire from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Janney Montgomery Scott assumed coverage on Spire in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Spire from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Spire currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $75.64.

Spire Trading Down 4.0 %

Shares of SR stock opened at $75.89 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $75.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $69.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market cap of $4.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. Spire has a twelve month low of $57.27 and a twelve month high of $79.81.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.70%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Spire will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Spire

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SR. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Spire during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Spire by 87.2% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its stake in Spire by 431.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 627 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 509 shares in the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.