S&P Global Inc. (NYSE: SPGI) Short Interest Update

S&P Global Inc. (NYSE: SPGI) experienced a significant rise in short interest throughout the month of February. By the end of the month, as of February 28th, short interest reached 3,620,000 shares. This marks an increase of 25.3% compared to the total of 2,890,000 shares recorded on February 13th. Given the average trading volume of 1,320,000 shares, the current short-interest ratio stands at 2.7 days, indicating the number of days it would take for short sellers to cover their positions. Around 1.2% of the total shares of S&P Global are currently sold short.

S&P Global Stock Performance

On Monday, shares of S&P Global traded up by $7.89, bringing the stock price to $494.38. The trading volume for the day was 1,168,277 shares, which is slightly higher than its average volume of 1,148,650 shares. Over the past year, S&P Global has experienced a low of $407.69 and a high of $545.39. The company's market capitalization is approximately $152.17 billion, with a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.03 and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41. The stock has a beta value of 1.20, which suggests it is relatively volatile compared to the market. In terms of liquidity and debt management, the quick ratio and current ratio are both at 0.85, and the debt-to-equity ratio is 0.34. The company’s 50-day and 200-day moving averages are $513.56 and $510.89 respectively.

S&P Global Financials

S&P Global recently announced its earnings results on February 11th, reporting an earnings per share (EPS) of $3.77 for the quarter. This figure surpassed analysts' expectations, which estimated an EPS of $3.41, providing a positive surprise of $0.36. The firm had a return on equity of 14.33% and a net profit margin of 27.12%. In the same quarter last year, the company reported an EPS of $3.13. Analysts project that S&P Global will achieve a total EPS of 17.11 for the ongoing fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement

In addition to its earnings report, S&P Global has declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid to shareholders on March 12th. Shareholders who were on record as of February 26th received a dividend of $0.96 per share. This reflects an annualized dividend of $3.84, positioning the dividend yield at 0.78%. This increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $0.91 signifies an upward trend in shareholder returns. The ex-dividend date was also February 26th, and currently, the dividend payout ratio for S&P Global is recorded at 31.09%.

Institutional Investments in S&P Global

Numerous institutional investors and hedge funds have made modifications to their holdings in S&P Global. Notably, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake by 3.4% during the third quarter, now holding 8,868,375 shares valued at around $4.58 billion after adding 292,436 shares recently. Also, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its ownership by 1.8% last quarter, owning a total of 6,589,982 shares valued at $3.27 billion after acquiring 116,208 more shares. Further, FMR LLC increased its stake by 6.6%, with recent ownership of 5,965,369 shares worth approximately $3.08 billion. Norges Bank also entered with a new position in the fourth quarter valued at $1.73 billion. Northern Trust Corp expanded its holdings by 19.1%, amassing 3,276,043 shares valued at $1.63 billion. Overall, around 87.17% of S&P Global’s stock is currently held by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings and Price Targets

In the realm of research and analysis, S&P Global has recently been reviewed by multiple analysts. Citigroup marked a new coverage of S&P with a “buy” recommendation and a price target set at $600.00. Wells Fargo has adjusted the target price for S&P Global from $617.00 to $633.00 while assigning it an “overweight” rating. Meanwhile, BMO Capital Markets revised the stock’s price objective from $576.00 to $590.00 and gave it an “outperform” rating. On the other hand, Oppenheimer lowered their target price from $590.00 to $580.00, maintaining an “outperform” view. Lastly, StockNews.com downgraded the rating from “buy” to “hold.” Currently, three analysts hold a “hold” rating while fourteen recommend buying the stock. As per MarketBeat data, the consensus rating for S&P Global remains a “Moderate Buy,” with an average target price of $590.86.

Company Overview of S&P Global

S&P Global, Inc. provides transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and data to capital and commodity markets worldwide. The company operates across several segments, including Market Intelligence, Ratings, Commodity Insights, Mobility, Indices, and Engineering Solutions.

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