Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Has $4.46 Million Stock Holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,112 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 243 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $4,455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the fourth quarter worth $1,112,935,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 11,089.7% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,230,227 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $914,794,000 after acquiring an additional 2,210,296 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 49.9% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,318,418 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,446,412,000 after acquiring an additional 1,437,116 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 39.5% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,727,874 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,529,100,000 after acquiring an additional 1,056,097 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of S&P Global by 113,163.2% in the fourth quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,005,777 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $336,875,000 after acquiring an additional 1,004,889 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of S&P Global stock traded up $2.31 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $411.87. 625,983 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,312,174. The firm has a market capitalization of $131.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.15. S&P Global Inc. has a 1-year low of $338.92 and a 1-year high of $461.16. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $427.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $414.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The business services provider reported $3.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.15 by ($0.02). S&P Global had a net margin of 21.02% and a return on equity of 11.34%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.54 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 14.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 27th were paid a $0.91 dividend. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 26th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.88%. S&P Global’s payout ratio is presently 44.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on S&P Global from $480.00 to $483.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Barclays raised their target price on S&P Global from $500.00 to $520.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Raymond James raised their target price on S&P Global from $422.00 to $452.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 9th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $480.00 target price on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $464.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at S&P Global

In other S&P Global news, CEO Douglas L. Peterson sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $424.74, for a total value of $2,548,440.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 162,530 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,032,992.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.10% of the company’s stock.

About S&P Global

S&P Global Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. It operates through S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Commodity Insights, S&P Global Mobility, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and S&P Global Engineering Solutions segments.