S&P Global (SPGI, Financial) (1.5%) (SPGI – $400.89 – NYSE) is a financial information conglomerate with the worlds largest credit ratings agency (S&P Ratings), largest index licensing franchise (S&P Indexes), largest commodity pricing engine (Platts), and a leader in financial data delivery (S&P Capital IQ), and automotive reports (CARFAX). The company merged with IHS Markit in February 2022, combining two of the largest financial data companies. The company’s wide variety of unique and proprietary datasets provide mission critical information to its customers, and the ability to re-package and re-use data allows the company to generate high returns on capital. S&P’s large scale creates high barrier to entry for data collection, while also providing the largest distribution network.
From Mario Gabelli (Trades, Portfolio)'s Gabelli Asset Fund second-quarter 2023 commentary.
