S&P Global Inc. - SPGI STOCK NEWS

The Board of Directors of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) has approved a 15.0% increase in its quarterly cash dividend, raising it from $0.67 to $0.77 per share. This dividend, reflecting the company's strong cash flow and financial position, will be payable on March 10, 2021, to shareholders of record by February 24, 2021. S&P Global has a notable history of returning cash to shareholders, amounting to $1.8 billion in 2020 alone, and has increased its dividend annually for over 48 years.

S&P Global Ratings has placed ratings on several major oil and gas companies on CreditWatch with negative implications, reflecting increased industry risks. Key companies affected include Chevron, Exxon Mobil, and Royal Dutch Shell. While BP and Suncor Energy have had their ratings affirmed, their outlooks were revised to negative. The changes are attributed to challenges such as the energy transition, profitability pressures from previous capital investments, and recent oil price volatility. S&P aims to resolve these ratings within weeks, focusing on the recalibrated business risk profiles of these companies.

The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices report reveals a strong increase in U.S. home prices for November 2020, with a 9.5% year-over-year gain, up from 8.4%. The 10-City Composite and 20-City Composite experienced increases of 8.8% and 9.1%, respectively. Phoenix topped the cities with a 13.8% price rise, followed by Seattle and San Diego. All cities reported increased prices compared to the previous year, marking a six-month trend of accelerating home prices.

Quantifind, based in Menlo Park, has secured $22 million in a strategic growth funding round aimed at enhancing its sales and marketing initiatives and advancing solutions for financial crime investigations. The funding includes contributions from notable investors such as S&P Global, In-Q-Tel, and Snowflake Ventures. Quantifind's Graphyte™ platform utilizes machine learning to automate anti-money laundering and fraud investigations, significantly improving efficiency in compliance processes.

The S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices report for December 2020 reveals a stable composite default rate of 0.46%, unchanged from the previous month. The bank card default rate increased to 2.63%, while auto loan defaults remained steady at 0.64%. First mortgage defaults saw a slight rise to 0.29%. Among major metropolitan areas, Los Angeles and Chicago recorded declines in default rates, while New York noted an increase. The data underline the ongoing trends in consumer credit and defaults across various loan categories.

S&P Global Ratings' new white paper discusses the shift towards stakeholder capitalism, emphasizing long-term value creation for customers, employees, and society, rather than merely focusing on shareholder returns. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend, heightening expectations for corporate social responsibility. The report assesses the challenges of balancing stakeholder and shareholder interests and highlights the importance of measuring both direct and indirect ESG impacts. It also notes that sustainable investing trends may prompt companies to realign with market expectations on sustainable growth.