Inspire Investing LLC Decreases Stock Position in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR)

Inspire Investing LLC trimmed its position in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 44.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,993 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 4,852 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Spire were worth $407,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Captrust Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,228,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter worth $8,277,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Spire by 290.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 130,827 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,877,000 after purchasing an additional 97,358 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Spire by 8.3% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 944,387 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $57,351,000 after purchasing an additional 72,119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Spire by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,385,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $93,244,000 after buying an additional 71,798 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Spire Price Performance

Shares of SR stock opened at $69.62 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.15, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $68.92 and its 200 day moving average is $66.56. Spire Inc. has a 1-year low of $56.36 and a 1-year high of $73.64.

Spire Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th were given a $3.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 11th. This represents a $12.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 18.04%. This is an increase from Spire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Spire’s payout ratio is presently 72.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Treasurer Adam W. Woodard sold 1,150 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.47, for a total transaction of $77,590.50. Following the transaction, the treasurer now directly owns 2,587 shares in the company, valued at $174,544.89. The trade was a 30.77 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Paul D. Koonce purchased 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 2,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $178,504.25. The trade was a 70.18 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.33% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Spire from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut Spire from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $65.50 to $60.50 in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Spire from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $65.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Spire presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $71.50.

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.