S&P Global Inc. SPGI has reported impressive fourth-quarter 2024 results, wherein earnings and revenues outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
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SPGI’s adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $3.77 surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 9.6% and gained 20.5% year over year. Revenues of $3.6 billion beat the consensus estimate by 2.9% and grew 14% year over year.
The SPGI stock has gained 6.4% over the past six months, outperforming the 5.4% rally of its industry while underperforming 14.2% growth of the Zacks S&P 500 Composite.
S&P Global Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
S&P Global Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | S&P Global Inc. Quote
S&P Global’s Quarterly Details
Revenues from Marketing Intelligence were $1.2 billion, which grew 5% from the year-ago reported figure and met our estimate. Ratings revenues in the fourth quarter of 2024 increased 27% to $1.1 billion and outpaced our estimate of $890.5 million.
Revenues from Commodity Insights were $545 million, up 10% from the year-ago quarter and outpacing our projection of $525.5 million.
Revenues from the Mobility and Indices segment saw year-over-year increases of 9% and 21% to $411 million and $436 million, respectively. Mobility and Indices revenues surpassed our estimate of $409.6 million and $396.2 million, respectively.
Adjusted operating profit was $1.7 billion, increasing 20% on a year-over-year basis. The adjusted operating profit margin was 46.7%, 260 basis points more than the year-ago reported figure.
Balance Sheet & Cash Flow of SPGI
S&P Global exited the fourth quarter of 2024 with cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $1.7 billion, flat with the preceding quarter. The long-term debt was $11.4 billion, flat with the third quarter of 2024.
SPGI generated $1.7 billion in cash from operating activities in the quarter. Capital expenditure was $33 million. The free cash flow was $1.6 billion. The company returned $280 million in the form of dividends.
S&P Global’s 2025 Outlook
The company expects an adjusted EPS of $17.00-$17.25. The guided range is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings of $16.72. The revenue growth guidance is anticipated to be 5-7%. The company kept its capital expenditure guidance at $190-$200 million.
S&P Global carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Earnings Snapshot
IQVIA Holdings Analytics Inc. IQV reported impressive fourth-quarter 2024 results.
IQV’s adjusted earnings were $3.12 per share, outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate marginally and rising 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Total revenues of $4 billion surpassed the consensus estimate by a slight margin and grew 2.3% from the year-ago quarter.
Equifax Inc. EFX reported mixed fourth-quarter 2024 results.
EFX’s adjusted earnings were $2.12 per share, outpacing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a slight margin and increasing 17.1% from the year-ago quarter. Total revenues of $1.4 billion missed the consensus estimate by 1.5% but grew 6.8% on a year-over-year basis.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
