UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Raises Holdings in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp grew its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 29.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 46,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,524 shares during the quarter. S&P Global accounts for approximately 1.1% of UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $19,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SPGI. Joseph Group Capital Management acquired a new stake in S&P Global in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. lifted its stake in S&P Global by 134.6% in the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 61 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Palladiem LLC acquired a new position in S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 87.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

S&P Global Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of S&P Global stock traded down $2.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $430.15. The company had a trading volume of 1,320,839 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,504,758. The company’s 50-day moving average is $419.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $448.10. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $381.61 and a twelve month high of $579.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 0.68 and a quick ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $127.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.08.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.15. S&P Global had a net margin of 30.37% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The firm had revenue of $4.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.08 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.37 EPS. S&P Global’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. Analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.97 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 26th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 24.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SPGI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on S&P Global from $550.00 to $535.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Evercore cut their price target on S&P Global from $625.00 to $560.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on S&P Global from $550.00 to $525.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on S&P Global from $560.00 to $510.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $532.00.

Insider Transactions at S&P Global

In other news, Director Robert Edward Jr. Moritz bought 1,152 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 30th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $434.03 per share, with a total value of $500,002.56. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,152 shares in the company, valued at $500,002.56. This trade represents a ? increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Martina Cheung purchased 2,322 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $429.93 per share, for a total transaction of $998,297.46. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,518 shares in the company, valued at $11,830,813.74. The trade was a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Company Profile

S&P Global is a leading provider of financial information, analytics and benchmark indices that serve investors, issuers, corporations and public institutions worldwide. The company operates through well-known businesses that include credit ratings, market intelligence and index licensing, as well as commodity and energy information services. Its products and services are used to assess creditworthiness, inform investment decisions, construct and track benchmark portfolios, and support risk and commodity market analysis.

S&P Global Ratings provides independent credit ratings, research and data used by fixed income investors and capital market participants to evaluate issuer and transaction risk.