Zacks Research Has Pessimistic Outlook of Spire Q4 Earnings

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q4 2026 EPS estimates for Spire in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of ($0.41) for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of ($0.17). The consensus estimate for Spire’s current full-year earnings is $4.50 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Spire’s Q4 2027 earnings at ($0.19) EPS, FY2027 earnings at $5.66 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $6.05 EPS.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by $0.15. Spire had a return on equity of 9.43% and a net margin of 10.95%.The company had revenue of $762.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $785.54 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. Spire has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.650-5.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on SR. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $99.00 price target on shares of Spire in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Spire from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Spire from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Spire from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Spire currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.70.

Spire Trading Up 0.8%

NYSE:SR opened at $91.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Spire has a 1-year low of $69.94 and a 1-year high of $92.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.91, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.67. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $85.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.37.

Spire Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is currently 71.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spire

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SR. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Spire in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Spire in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Spire during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Community Bank N.A. bought a new position in shares of Spire during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Spire by 186.8% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Spire

Here are the key news stories impacting Spire this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised FY2026, FY2027 and FY2028 earnings estimates and upgraded several mid‑year quarters (examples: FY2026 to $5.29 from $5.25; FY2027 to $5.66 from $5.60; FY2028 to $6.05). Those upward revisions suggest stronger longer‑term fundamentals and support the stock. MarketBeat: SR
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks also lifted Q2 estimates (Q2 2026 to $3.78; Q2 2027 to $3.92) and bumped Q1 2027, signaling better performance in peak seasonal quarters. MarketBeat: SR
• Neutral Sentiment: Filings from Dimensional Fund Advisors (Form 8.3) reference Spire Healthcare Group PLC (a UK company) — these disclosures are not related to Spire Inc. (NYSE: SR) but appeared among the same news feed. GlobeNewsWire: Dimensional Form 8.3
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks pared several near‑term quarterly estimates (notably Q3/Q4 2026 and Q3/Q4 2027 and Q1 2028) — examples include Q4 2026 cut to ($0.41) from ($0.17) and Q4 2027 to ($0.19) from ($0.04). Those downgrades point to weaker short‑term seasonality or timing effects that could pressure short‑term earnings and sentiment. MarketBeat: SR

About Spire

Spire Inc (NYSE: SR), formerly known as The Laclede Group, is a regulated natural gas distribution company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Through its three operating divisions—Spire Missouri, Spire Alabama and Spire Mississippi—the company delivers natural gas to more than 1.7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers. Spire’s service territory spans key markets in the central and southern United States, including metropolitan St. Louis, central Alabama and central Mississippi.

Founded in 1857 as the Laclede Gas Light Company, the business has grown through strategic acquisitions, notably Alabama Gas Corporation in 2013 and Mississippi Gas in 2016.