S&P Global
| File:S&P Global logo.svg Logo of S&P Global Inc. | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Financial data and analytical services |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Founder | James H. McGraw |
| Headquarters | Manhattan, New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Martina Cheung (President, 2024–present) |
| Products | Financial data, credit ratings, analytics, indices, market intelligence |
| Website | www |
S&P Global Inc.—previously known as McGraw Hill Financial, Inc. and earlier as The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.—is a publicly listed American enterprise based in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary focus lies in delivering financial data and analytical services. The company owns S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Global Mobility, S&P Global Sustainable1, S&P Global Commodity Insights, and CRISIL, while also maintaining majority ownership of the S&P Dow Jones Indices partnership. The acronym "S&P" represents "Standard and Poor's."
Corporate history
The beginnings of S&P Global date back to 1888 when James H. McGraw purchased the American Journal of Railway Appliances and subsequently founded The McGraw Publishing Company in 1899. Concurrently, John A. Hill established The Hill Publishing Company in 1902. By 1909, their book divisions merged to form The McGraw–Hill Book Company, with Hill serving as president and McGraw as vice-president. The companies fully united under The McGraw–Hill Publishing Company name in 1917.
Following Hill's passing in 1964, the entities consolidated into McGraw–Hill, Inc. In 1966, the firm expanded by acquiring credit rating agency Standard & Poor's from Paul Talbot Babson. Growth continued through acquisitions such as Byte magazine in 1979 and The Economy Company in 1986, establishing it as the largest educational publisher in the United States.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, McGraw–Hill ventured into broadcasting but exited this industry by divesting its television division to the E. W. Scripps Company for $212 million in 2011. The education segment was sold to Apollo Global Management for $2.5 billion in 2012, with the deal closing in 2013. Following this, shareholders approved changing the company’s name to McGraw Hill Financial within that same year.
In 2014, McGraw–Hill Construction was sold to Symphony Technology Group for $320 million; this transaction included titles such as Engineering News-Record and Dodge Data & Analytics.
In February 2016, McGraw Hill Financial announced a rebranding initiative to become S&P Global Inc., effective April after receiving shareholder consent. That year also saw the sale of J.D. Power to XIO Group for $1.1 billion.
By August 2020, S&P Global Platts introduced an analytics platform featuring fundamental oil market data APIs designed to support digital transformation within commodity markets.
In November 2020, S&P Global agreed to acquire analytics company IHS Markit for $44 billion, substantially enhancing its data and analytical service offerings. In 2023, the former IHS engineering division was sold to KKR & Co, which rebranded it as Accuris.
Corporate organization
S&P Global operates through six divisions that cater to specific market sectors:
S&P Global Ratings
S&P Global Ratings provides impartial credit assessments and investment research covering a wide range of financial products.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
This segment delivers real-time data, analytics, news, and research across multiple asset classes to institutional investors, banks, insurers, advisors, corporations, and academic institutions. Its notable subsidiaries include Capital IQ, EViews, Journal of Commerce, Panjiva, and Global Insight.
S&P Dow Jones Indices
Formed in July 2012, S&P Dow Jones Indices stands as the foremost global supplier of index-related data and analytics. It oversees prominent indices such as the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The division calculates in excess of 830,000 indices, supports 575 ETFs worldwide with $387 billion in assets under management, and backs $1.5 trillion in indexed assets on a global scale.
S&P Global Commodity Insights
Headquartered in London, this segment delivers pricing benchmarks and market intelligence for commodities, energy, petrochemicals, metals, and agricultural sectors. It maintains operations from over 15 offices situated in major energy centers including London, Tokyo, Dubai, Singapore, Houston, São Paulo, Shanghai, and New York City.
S&P Global Mobility
Home to brands like Carfax, Market Scan, and Polk Automotive Solutions, S&P Global Mobility specializes in automotive data solutions. In April 2025, S&P declared intentions to spin off this business unit as an independent publicly traded company.
Presidents of the company
- James H. McGraw (1917–1928)
- Johnathan Heflin (1928–1948)
- James McGraw Jr. (1948–1950)
- Curtis W. McGraw (1950–1953)
- Donald C. McGraw (1953–1968)
- Shelton Fisher (1968–1974)
- Harold McGraw Jr. (1974–1983)
- Joseph Dionne (1983–1998)
- Harold W. McGraw III (1998–2013)
- Douglas L. Peterson (2013–2024)
- Martina Cheung (2024–present)
Acquisitions
Since its inception and especially after 2016 under S&P Global, McGraw Hill has pursued growth by acquiring companies across publishing, financial services, and data analytics sectors. Its entry into financial services began with the 1966 acquisition of Standard & Poor's, while diversification into broadcasting occurred with the 1972 purchase of Time-Life Broadcasting. Following the 2013 corporate split, publishing and educational divisions were assigned to McGraw–Hill Education. Noteworthy acquisitions include:
| Date | Asset | Industry |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Newton Falls Paper Company | Paper manufacturing |
| 1928 | A.W. Shaw Company | Publishing of magazines and textbooks |
| 1950s | Gregg Company | Vocational textbook publishing |
| 1953 | Platts | Petroleum industry information services |
| 1954 | Blakiston from Doubleday | Medical textbook publishing |
| 1961 | F.W. Dodge Corporation | Construction industry information |
| 1965 | California Test Bureau | Development of educational testing systems |
| 1966 | Standard & Poor's | Financial services and credit rating agency |
| 1966 | Shepard's Citations | Legal publishing sector |
| 1968 | National Radio Institute | Correspondence education provider |
| 1970 | The Ryerson Press | Educational and trade book publishing |
| 1972 | 'Time Life' Television Stations' | Broadcasting industry |
| 1979 | 'Data Resources Inc.' | Economic data and consulting services |
| 1986 | 'The Economy Company' | Educational publishing house |
| 1988 | 'Random House Schools and Colleges' | Educational publishing division |
| 1993 | 'Macmillan/McGraw–Hill School Publishing' | Educational publishing company |
| 1996 | 'Times Mirror Higher Education' | Higher education publishing sector |
| 1997 | 'Micropal Group Limited' | Financial services data provider |
| 1999 | 'Appleton & Lange' | Medical information publisher |
| 2000 | 'Tribune Education' including NTC/Contemporary | Supplementary educational content provider |
| 2001 | 'Mayfield Publishing Company' | Humanities and social sciences textbooks |
| 2004 | 'Capital IQ' | 'Corporate information aggregation platform |
| 2005 | 'J.D. Power & Associates' | 'Provider of marketing information |
| 2015 | 'SNL Financial' | 'Financial news and analytics service |
| 2018 | 'Kensho Technologies' | 'Artificial intelligence technology solutions |
| 2019 | '451 Group' | 'Global IT research and advisory firm |
| 2022 | 'IHS Markit' | 'Information services company |
| 2022 | 'The Climate Service' | 'Provider of climate risk analytics |
| 2023 | 'ChartIQ' | 'Financial charting technology provider |
| 2023 | 'Tradenet' | 'Platform for tracking commodity vessels |
| 2023 | 'TruSight Solutions LLC' | 'Third-party risk evaluation services |
| 2023 | 'Market Scan Information Systems, Inc' | 'Automotive data solutions provider |
| 2024 | 'Visible Alpha' | 'Provider of consensus estimates data |
| 2024 | 'World Hydrogen Leaders' | 'Hydrogen market intelligence firm |
This compilation includes acquisitions made directly by McGraw–Hill; transactions by subsidiaries are not represented. Typically, the company does not publicly reveal financial terms related to these acquisitions.
Divestitures
After acquiring a variety of businesses, McGraw Hill sold off multiple divisions to establish McGraw Hill Financial, which is now known as S&P Global:
| Year of divestment | Divested asset | Sector |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Shepard's legal publishing division sold to Times Mirror | Publishing |
| 2009 | Vista Resources transferred to Guidepoint Global | Expert Networks |
| 2011 | Television station group acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company | Broadcasting |
| 2013 | McGraw–Hill Education sold to Apollo Global Management | Publishing |
| 2013 | Aviation Week divested to Penton | Publishing |
| 2014 | McGraw–Hill Construction transferred to Symphony Technology Group | Publishing |
| 2016 | J.D. Power & Associates purchased by XIO Group | Marketing information provider |
| 2016 | Equity Research Group sold to CFRA | Equity research |
This compilation reflects only the divestitures directly made by McGraw–Hill, not those by its subsidiaries.
McGraw–Hill Building
Until July 2015, the company’s headquarters were located at 1221 Avenue of the Americas. Previously, McGraw Hill Inc. operated out of 330 West 42nd Street; both sites have carried the name The McGraw–Hill Building, a designation that originally referred to an earlier headquarters at 469 Tenth Avenue.
Connection to the family of George W. Bush
The McGraw family maintains a long-established relationship with the George W. Bush family. Harold McGraw Jr. participated on the national grant advisory and founding board of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
McGraw–Hill Federal Credit Union
Established in 1935 to serve employees of McGraw–Hill in New York City, the McGraw–Hill Federal Credit Union moved its operations to East Windsor, New Jersey, in 2005. Its accounts are protected by the National Credit Union Administration. The credit union provides a range of financial services including savings and checking accounts, certificates of deposit, money-market accounts, IRAs, credit cards, auto loans, and home mortgages. In February 2019, it announced a merger with Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed), completing the transition of members by May 1, 2019. As of September 2019, the East Windsor branch functions under PenFed.
Awards
In 1999, the National Building Museum honored McGraw–Hill Companies with its annual Honor Award for outstanding contributions to the built environment.
In 2023, Newsweek recognized S&P Global as one of America's Greenest Companies 2024 in acknowledgment of its sustainability initiatives.