BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC Acquires Shares of 38,220 Spire Inc. $SR

BTG Pactual Asset Management US LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 38,220 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,985,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SR. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire in the first quarter worth about $3,631,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Spire by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,430,368 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $531,791,000 after buying an additional 19,326 shares in the last quarter. South Street Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Spire in the 4th quarter worth approximately $15,213,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,387,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,490,000. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Spire Stock Performance

NYSE:SR opened at $82.68 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.89 billion, a PE ratio of 9.22, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $81.12 and its 200 day moving average is $85.76. Spire Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $73.91 and a fifty-two week high of $95.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.37.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported ($0.26) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.32) by $0.06. Spire had a net margin of 21.48% and a return on equity of 8.65%. The company had revenue of $420.20 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $394.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.01 earnings per share. Spire’s quarterly revenue was up 19.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Spire has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 4.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Spire Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Spire’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.79%.

Insider Transactions at Spire

In related news, SVP Ryan L. Hyman sold 3,822 shares of Spire stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.51, for a total transaction of $307,709.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,150,890.45. The trade was a 21.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce purchased 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $78.46 per share, for a total transaction of $39,230.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 8,000 shares in the company, valued at $627,680. The trade was a 6.67% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 2.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Spire from $96.00 to $91.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 21st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. BTIG Research set a $101.00 target price on shares of Spire in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Spire from $106.00 to $103.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Spire from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Spire has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.00.

Spire Profile

Spire Inc (NYSE: SR), formerly known as The Laclede Group, is a regulated natural gas distribution company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its three operating divisions—Spire Missouri, Spire Alabama and Spire Mississippi—the company delivers natural gas to more than 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. Spire’s service territory spans key markets in the central and southern United States, including metropolitan St. Louis, central Alabama and central Mississippi.

Founded in 1857 as the Laclede Gas Light Company, the business has grown through strategic acquisitions, notably Alabama Gas Corporation in 2013 and Mississippi Gas in 2016.