Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) Shares Sold by Quest Partners LLC

Quest Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) by 19.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,123 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,725 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Spire were worth $1,892,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Spire by 26.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Spire by 5.2% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 177 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its position in shares of Spire by 2.7% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 7,126 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $480,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co lifted its position in shares of Spire by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Spire by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,327 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Spire news, VP Gerard J. Gorla sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.82, for a total value of $32,410.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 7,311 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $473,899.02. This represents a 6.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.86% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Spire Price Performance

Shares of SR stock opened at $68.19 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.52. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $65.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.59. Spire Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.36 and a 12 month high of $68.35.

Spire Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be issued a $3.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 11th. This is a boost from Spire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. This represents a $12.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 18.42%. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is currently 72.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on SR shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH downgraded shares of Spire from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $65.50 to $60.50 in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Spire from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Spire from $70.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Spire from $72.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $66.19.

Spire Company 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.