Franklin Resources Inc. Has $651.91 Million Position in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,235,809 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,836 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $651,914,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. First National Corp MA ADV grew its position in S&P Global by 0.9% during the third quarter. First National Corp MA ADV now owns 2,344 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. Kathleen S. Wright Associates Inc. now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. increased its stake in shares of S&P Global by 1.4% in the third quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 1,404 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $725,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Headinvest LLC raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 2.0% during the third quarter. Headinvest LLC now owns 997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $515,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EWA LLC raised its holdings in shares of S&P Global by 4.2% during the third quarter. EWA LLC now owns 498 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Stock Performance

Shares of SPGI opened at $505.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $156.88 billion, a PE ratio of 44.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. S&P Global Inc. has a one year low of $407.69 and a one year high of $533.29. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $509.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $490.35.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The business services provider reported $3.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.64 by $0.25. S&P Global had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 25.80%. The business had revenue of $3.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.43 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that S&P Global Inc. will post 15.24 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th were given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.72%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio is 32.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SPGI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on S&P Global from $536.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of S&P Global in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $599.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of S&P Global from $540.00 to $560.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of S&P Global from $589.00 to $564.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $550.00 to $610.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $573.23.

S&P Global Profile

S&P Global Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity, and automotive markets. It operates through S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Commodity Insights, S&P Global Mobility, S&P Dow Jones Indices, and S&P Global Engineering Solutions segments.