Spire Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:SR)

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) saw unusually large options trading activity on Tuesday. Traders acquired 4,995 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 41,525% compared to the average daily volume of 12 call options.

Spire Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE SR opened at $93.98 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $90.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.55 billion, a PE ratio of 20.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.60. 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 12 month low of $69.94 and a 12 month high of $94.46.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.15. Spire had a net margin of 10.95% and a return on equity of 9.43%. The firm 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 company posted $1.34 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Spire has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.650-5.850 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.250-5.450 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Spire will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Spire Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were issued a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. Spire’s dividend payout ratio is 71.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Spire from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Spire from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Spire from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Spire presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $92.78.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spire

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SR. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Spire by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 212,438 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $16,623,000 after purchasing an additional 19,373 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in Spire in the 1st quarter worth approximately $9,636,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Spire by 1,031.5% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 611 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in Spire by 4.9% in the 2nd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 19,128 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,396,000 after purchasing an additional 887 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Spire by 75.8% in the 2nd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 4,658 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.36% of the company’s stock.

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.