Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Reduces Position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 80,537 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 935 shares during the quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC owned about 0.14% of Spire worth $5,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in Spire by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 2,308 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $157,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,592,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Spire by 15.8% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 778,442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $52,802,000 after acquiring an additional 106,386 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Spire by 431.4% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on SR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Spire from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $83.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Spire in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Spire from $77.00 to $75.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $74.00.

Spire Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:SR opened at $77.98 on Tuesday. Spire Inc. has a 52 week low of $57.27 and a 52 week high of $78.33. The company’s 50 day moving average is $70.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.13. 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 company has a market cap of $4.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.58.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted 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 net margin of 9.70% and a return on equity of 7.88%. Equities analysts predict that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be given a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.03%.

Insider Activity at Spire

In related news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total value of $77,590.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $174,544.89. This trade represents a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.33% of the company’s stock.

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.