Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Forecast for Spire Earnings

Spire Inc. (NYSE:SR) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for Spire in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, December 12th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the utilities provider will post earnings per share of $1.43 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.39. The consensus estimate for Spire’s current full-year earnings is $4.52 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Spire’s Q2 2025 earnings at $3.67 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $4.51 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.04 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on SR. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Spire from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Spire from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Spire in a report on Friday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $70.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $69.94.

Spire Price Performance

Spire stock opened at $67.70 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.71, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.57. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $67.24 and its 200-day moving average is $64.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Spire has a 12 month low of $56.36 and a 12 month high of $73.64.

Spire Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 11th will be given a $3.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 11th. This is a boost from Spire’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. This represents a $12.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 18.55%. Spire’s payout ratio is presently 72.85%.

Insider Transactions at Spire

In related news, Director Paul D. Koonce bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $73.61 per share, with a total value of $73,610.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 2,425 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $178,504.25. The trade was a 70.18 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.86% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Spire

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Spire in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Spire in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Spire by 1,318.4% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 539 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Spire by 26.8% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 761 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Missouri Trust & Investment Co grew its holdings in Spire by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co now owns 900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 87.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Spire

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.