Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Sold by Federated Hermes Inc.

Federated Hermes Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 11.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,899 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 480 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Spire were worth $243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Spire by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 10,907 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $680,000 after buying an additional 1,354 shares in the last quarter. CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. acquired a new stake in Spire in the 4th quarter valued at about $305,000. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC lifted its holdings in Spire by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 4,026 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio boosted its position in shares of Spire by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 2,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $180,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in shares of Spire in the 4th quarter worth approximately $923,000. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Spire

In other news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,229 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.58, for a total transaction of $73,223.82. Following the transaction, the treasurer now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $92,944.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Joseph B. Hampton sold 1,294 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.13, for a total transaction of $75,220.22. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 6,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $393,423.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,229 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.58, for a total value of $73,223.82. Following the transaction, the treasurer now owns 1,560 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,944.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Spire Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE SR opened at $61.31 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Spire Inc. has a one year low of $53.77 and a one year high of $69.99. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $60.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.54 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.50.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The utilities provider reported $3.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.86 by ($0.41). The company had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.05%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.70 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Spire Inc. will post 4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 2nd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, June 11th will be paid a $0.755 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 11th. This represents a $3.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.93%. Spire’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 76.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Spire from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised Spire from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on Spire in a research note on Friday, April 26th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $57.50 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Spire currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.72.

Spire 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.