Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Purchased by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 33.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,557 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Spire were worth $105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Spire during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. LRI Investments LLC bought a new stake in Spire in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Spire during the first quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co grew its position in shares of Spire by 28.6% during the third quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Spire Trading Up 3.2 %

Spire stock opened at $70.59 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.52. Spire Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.36 and a 1 year high of $70.73. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $65.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.48.

Spire Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is a positive change from Spire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. This represents a $12.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 17.79%. Spire’s payout ratio is 72.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SR shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Spire from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Spire from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Spire from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $68.31.

Spire Company Profile

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.