Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co Makes New Investment in Spire Inc. $SR

Elo Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new stake in Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,351 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,414,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Spire by 186.8% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Spire by 1,957.1% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 432 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 411 shares in the last quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Spire in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Spire during the second quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Spire during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. 87.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Spire Price Performance

NYSE:SR opened at $91.20 on Friday. Spire Inc. has a one year low of $69.94 and a one year high of $92.95. The stock has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.61. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $86.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.73.

Spire (NYSE:SR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The utilities provider reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 analyst estimates of $785.54 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’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 research analysts expect that Spire Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Spire Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SR shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Spire from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Spire from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective on shares of Spire in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Spire from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $90.70.

Spire Company Profile

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.