Hilltop Holdings Inc. Has $386,000 Position in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

Hilltop Holdings Inc. lessened its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 92.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 908 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 11,628 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SPGI. Joseph Group Capital Management bought a new stake in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. raised its holdings in S&P Global by 134.6% during the 4th quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 61 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz acquired 1,152 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $434.03 per share, with a total value of $500,002.56. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $500,002.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Catherine R. Clay bought 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $431.39 per share, with a total value of $1,078,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,500 shares in the company, valued at $1,078,475. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Stock Performance

NYSE:SPGI opened at $439.25 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $423.71 and a 200-day moving average of $440.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $130.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $381.61 and a twelve month high of $579.05.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.82 by $0.15. The company had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.08 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 30.37% and a return on equity of 17.26%. S&P Global’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $4.37 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 18.37 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.97 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 26th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio is currently 24.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on SPGI shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $495.00 to $505.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Zacks Research cut shares of S&P Global from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on S&P Global from $530.00 to $525.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 13th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on S&P Global from $565.00 to $555.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $533.59.

About S&P Global

S&P Global is a leading provider of financial information, analytics and benchmark indices that serve investors, issuers, corporations and public institutions worldwide. The company operates through well-known businesses that include credit ratings, market intelligence and index licensing, as well as commodity and energy information services. Its products and services are used to assess creditworthiness, inform investment decisions, construct and track benchmark portfolios, and support risk and commodity market analysis.

S&P Global Ratings provides independent credit ratings, research and data used by fixed income investors and capital market participants to evaluate issuer and transaction risk.