Amid inflation worries and concerns about an AI bubble, investors are looking for safe and reliable dividend plays.
An analysis of Insider Monkey’s proprietary database of billionaire-held stocks shows S&P Global and Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) are among the top favorite Dividend Kings of billionaires. A Dividend King is a company that has raised its dividend for at least 50 consecutive years. S&P Global has raised its dividend for more than 50 years in a row, while Coca-Cola has raised its payout for over 60 years. At the end of the second quarter of 2026, 35 of the billionaires in the database held S&P Global, up from 33 in the first quarter. Coca-Cola ranked second with 30 billionaire holders, up from 25. In this article, we will discuss S&P Global in detail.
Coca-Cola ranks 4th in our list of the best dividend king stocks to buy according to hedge funds.
Analyzing SPGI
Bull Case
S&P Global has a strong moat because it sits at the center of how debt, funds and commodities get priced, and customers keep paying for that access year after year. In ratings, S&P Global, Moody’s and Fitch hold about 90% of the market, and S&P Global’s share is around 40%. Companies need a trusted rating to borrow on good terms, and that trust took decades to build.
Debt issuance grew over 20% year over year in the second quarter, helped by US hyperscalers and the data center buildout, and analysts expect a large amount of debt to need refinancing in the coming years. In indices, assets tied to S&P indices rose 34% year over year in the second quarter. Growth in passive investing, more investors in Europe and rising US stock prices all push that number higher. The spin-off of Mobility created a simpler, leaner company. Management says 65% of revenue and 80% of profit now come from its benchmark products, which include ratings, indices and the Platts oil price service.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
Bear Case
The biggest risk for S&P Global is a slowdown in credit and stock markets. Its ratings business earns fees when companies sell new debt. Market Intelligence is the weakest division in terms of margins, and its CapitalIQ platform competes with Bloomberg, FactSet and Refinitiv. Fears of AI disruption have hurt financial data stocks this year. The stock has been flat for five years, and the dividend yield is under 1%.
Valuation
S&P Global stock trades at 22.56 times forward non-GAAP earnings, which is 23.86% below its five-year average of 29.64 times. However, that multiple sits 104.5% above the sector median of 11.03. On trailing non-GAAP earnings, the stock trades at 21.37 times versus a five-year average of 30.63 times. On enterprise value to EBITDA, it trades at 16.66 times, compared with a five-year average of 24.52 times and a sector median of 9.74 times.
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