S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) saw a significant increase in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,950,000 shares, an increase of 16.6% from the January 15th total of 2,530,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,270,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.3 days.

S&P Global Trading Down 0.5 %

SPGI traded down $2.55 during trading on Monday, reaching $539.77. 973,325 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,209,243. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $507.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $507.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.49 billion, a PE ratio of 47.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.20. S&P Global has a fifty-two week low of $407.69 and a fifty-two week 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.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The business services provider reported $3.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.13 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that S&P Global will post 15.34 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SPGI has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of S&P Global from $600.00 to $585.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of S&P Global from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of S&P Global from $605.00 to $610.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $587.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On S&P Global

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. First Personal Financial Services acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.