Spire (NYSE:SR) Shares Break Below 50 Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) passed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $80.60 and traded as low as $80.43. Spire shares last traded at $82.2150, with a volume of 456,344 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on SR shares. Huntington started coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Monday, September 14th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $93.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Spire from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Spire from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Spire from $91.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 18th. Finally, Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $88.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.50.

Spire Trading Up 1.8%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $80.60 and a 200 day moving average of $83.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $4.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.17, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.52.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported ($0.26) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.32) by $0.06. Spire had a return on equity of 8.65% and a net margin of 21.48%. The firm had revenue of $420.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $394.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.01 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.2% on a year-over-year basis. Spire has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.900-4.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Spire Inc. will post 4.00 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th were given a dividend of $0.8250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Spire’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.79%.

Institutional Trading of Spire

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Spire during the second quarter valued at about $667,642,000. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Spire by 1.4% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 667,616 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $52,134,000 after acquiring an additional 8,927 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Spire in the second quarter valued at $45,993,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of Spire by 0.4% in the first quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 479,716 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,433,000 after acquiring an additional 1,745 shares during the period. Finally, Energy Income Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Spire by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 402,270 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,422,000 after acquiring an additional 6,505 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

About Spire

Spire Inc is a diversified natural gas company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its regulated utility operations, the company distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Missouri and Alabama.

Spire’s business includes natural gas distribution, gas storage and transportation, and related energy services. Its operations also include natural gas marketing and midstream activities, which support the delivery and management of natural gas for utility and other customers.

The company traces its history to 1857, when it was established as Laclede Gas Light Company.