Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Acquired by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its holdings in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 30.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,127 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 3,260 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in Spire were worth $958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Spire in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Spire in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Spire by 87.2% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Spire by 1,318.4% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Spire in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Spire Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE SR opened at $77.37 on Friday. Spire Inc. has a 1-year low of $57.27 and a 1-year high of $78.83. 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 capitalization of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 18.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.08.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.08). Spire had a return on equity of 7.88% and a net margin of 9.70%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Spire Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 11th will be issued a $0.785 dividend. This represents a $3.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.06%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 11th. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is presently 76.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on SR. Mizuho upped their target price on Spire from $76.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. UBS Group increased their price objective on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Spire to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on Spire in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Spire has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.00.

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.