Wellington Management Group LLP Decreases Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Wellington Management Group LLP trimmed its holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,791,081 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,077,294 shares during the quarter. S&P Global comprises about 0.7% of Wellington Management Group LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $3,880,192,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of S&P Global during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,725,084,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth $527,207,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in S&P Global by 71,024.1% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 619,491 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $308,525,000 after purchasing an additional 618,620 shares during the last quarter. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at $144,091,000. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 52.9% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 720,517 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $358,839,000 after buying an additional 249,242 shares during the period. 87.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

S&P Global Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of SPGI opened at $502.33 on Monday. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $407.69 and a twelve month high of $545.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $157.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.67, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.20. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $515.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $510.10.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last released 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 return on equity of 14.33% and a net margin of 27.12%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.13 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 17.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a $0.96 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $3.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. This is a boost from S&P Global’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SPGI. StockNews.com cut S&P Global from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Mizuho assumed coverage on S&P Global in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on S&P Global from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $595.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, S&P Global has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $590.86.

S&P Global 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.