First Financial Bankshares Inc Grows Holdings in S&P Global Inc. $SPGI

First Financial Bankshares Inc increased its holdings in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI) by 5.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,771 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,499 shares during the period. First Financial Bankshares Inc’s holdings in S&P Global were worth $16,603,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Joseph Group Capital Management purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 134.6% in the 4th quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 61 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Palladiem LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of S&P Global in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of S&P Global by 171.4% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 76 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.17% of the company’s stock.

S&P Global Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of SPGI opened at $413.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.18, a PEG ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $424.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $459.21. S&P Global Inc. has a twelve month low of $381.61 and a twelve month high of $579.05.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The business services provider reported $4.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.82 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.08 billion. S&P Global had a net margin of 30.37% and a return on equity of 17.26%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.37 EPS. S&P Global has set its FY 2026 guidance at 19.400-19.650 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that S&P Global Inc. will post 19.61 EPS for the current year.

S&P Global Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th were issued a $0.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. S&P Global’s dividend payout ratio is 24.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Martina Cheung acquired 2,322 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $429.93 per share, for a total transaction of $998,297.46. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 27,518 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,830,813.74. This trade represents a 9.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Catherine R. Clay acquired 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was bought at an average price of $431.39 per share, with a total value of $1,078,475.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,078,475. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 5,974 shares of company stock worth $2,576,775. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SPGI has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $530.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Daiwa Securities Group cut their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $490.00 to $485.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Rothschild & Co Redburn cut their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $585.00 to $540.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $551.00 to $554.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Evercore cut their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $625.00 to $560.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, S&P Global has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $546.39.

S&P Global Company Profile

S&P Global is a leading provider of financial information, analytics and benchmark indices that serve investors, issuers, corporations and public institutions worldwide. The company operates through well-known businesses that include credit ratings, market intelligence and index licensing, as well as commodity and energy information services. Its products and services are used to assess creditworthiness, inform investment decisions, construct and track benchmark portfolios, and support risk and commodity market analysis.

S&P Global Ratings provides independent credit ratings, research and data used by fixed income investors and capital market participants to evaluate issuer and transaction risk.