Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR - Free Report) by 127.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,372 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 61,357 shares during the quarter. Barclays PLC owned approximately 0.19% of Spire worth $7,360,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Yaupon Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Spire by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Yaupon Capital Management LP now owns 132,075 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,887,000 after acquiring an additional 19,190 shares in the last quarter. iSAM Funds UK Ltd bought a new position in Spire in the third quarter worth $643,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Spire during the third quarter valued at $220,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Spire by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,154,230 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $214,535,000 after buying an additional 44,969 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA purchased a new stake in shares of Spire in the 3rd quarter worth about $702,000. 87.36% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
In other Spire news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total value of $77,590.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at approximately $174,544.89. This trade represents a 30.77 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 2,425 shares in the company, valued at approximately $178,504.25. This trade represents a 70.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 2.86% of the company's stock.
Shares of NYSE SR opened at $64.46 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $67.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.00. Spire Inc. has a 52-week low of $56.36 and a 52-week high of $73.64. The company has a market cap of $3.72 billion, a PE ratio of 14.96, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $3.14 dividend. This represents a $12.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 19.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This is an increase from Spire's previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Spire's payout ratio is 72.85%.
Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Mizuho boosted their price target on Spire from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Spire from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott started coverage on Spire in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.28.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on SR
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.
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