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Investing.com - BofA Securities downgraded Spire (NYSE:SR) from Neutral to Underperform and lowered its price target to $76.00 from $81.00 following the company’s recently announced acquisition. The stock, currently trading near its 52-week high at $77.52, has delivered a 26% return over the past year. According to InvestingPro analysis, the company appears slightly overvalued at current levels.
The downgrade comes after Spire revealed its $2.48 billion acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas on July 29, 2025, which BofA Securities views as potentially problematic for near-term financial performance. With a current market capitalization of $4.58 billion and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51x, the acquisition represents a significant financial commitment.
BofA Securities cited "limited near-term accretion" as a key concern, pointing to premium purchase multiples, financing uncertainty, and modest synergy potential as contributing factors.
The firm’s analysis indicates no material earned ROE improvement is expected before 2026, when Missouri’s future test year takes effect.
Additional factors influencing the downgrade include below-average earnings growth projections, elevated funding costs, and execution risk associated with Spire’s expanding operational footprint.
In other recent news, Spire Inc. reported its financial results for the third quarter of 2025, exceeding revenue expectations. The company achieved an adjusted earnings per share of $0.01, which was a notable improvement over the anticipated loss of $0.14 per share. Revenue for the quarter reached $421.9 million, surpassing the forecasted $354.37 million and marking a 19.06% surprise. Despite these positive financial outcomes, Spire’s stock experienced a slight dip in pre-market trading. This revenue beat indicates stronger-than-expected performance for the quarter. The results reflect positively on the company’s financial health, with the earnings figures providing a notable highlight. Analyst reactions to these developments may influence future expectations, though specific upgrades or downgrades were not mentioned.
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