Overview
Stifel has reduced its price target on S&P Global to $489.00 from $599.00, while continuing to rate the stock as a Buy. The analyst revision followed S&P Global’s most recent quarterly results and the company’s guidance for 2026, which Stifel says were lower than it had anticipated.
Following the report, S&P Global’s share price fell 9.7%, compared with a 0.3% decline for the S&P 500. Stifel attributes much of that sell-off to what it describes as "continued AI disruption fears," a market narrative the firm calls difficult to counter in the current environment.
Stifel’s view on AI and Market Intelligence
Although Stifel lowered the price target, the firm explicitly stated it does not believe S&P Global is experiencing AI-related disruption and does not expect that to occur. Nevertheless, the research note acknowledged that it is "tough to disprove the narrative at this point in time." Stifel also cited the company’s Market Intelligence revenue and margin being lighter than expected as a factor that made the disruption narrative harder to fight.
Implications for valuation
The new target reflects Stifel’s assessment that the market is overestimating potential AI-driven impacts on S&P Global’s business. At the same time, the firm recognized that it is likely to be challenging for the company to regain its prior valuation multiples in the near term given investor sentiment.
Other analyst moves and recent results
S&P Global reported fourth-quarter results for 2025 that showed mixed performance versus expectations. Revenue came in at $3.92 billion, slightly above the $3.90 billion consensus. Earnings per share missed expectations, with actual EPS of $4.30 versus a forecast of $4.32.
In the wake of the earnings release, BMO Capital lowered its price target on S&P Global from $601.00 to $482.00 while maintaining an Outperform rating. Those adjustments underscore a cautious posture among some sell-side analysts despite the revenue beat.
Summary takeaway
Analysts have trimmed price targets on S&P Global amid investor concern over AI-related disruption and softer-than-expected Market Intelligence performance. Stifel continues to rate the stock a Buy but has reduced its valuation expectation, and other firms have followed with lower targets while keeping positive ratings.