1 Magnificent Financial Stock Down 20% to Buy and Hold Forever

By Dave Kovaleski – Mar 17, 2026 at 1:43PM ESTKey PointsS&P Global stock is down about 18% year to date.It has been one of the steadiest financial stocks over the years, with moats in two of its businesses.It is trading at a low valuation and is a screaming buy.Market downturns offer an excellent opportunity to add shares of great stocks at a discount. After all, the basic goal is to buy low and sell high -- and hopefully, that sell is a long way down the road, after the stock has accumulated a lot of wealth. There is one financial stock on my radar that has been one of the best, most consistent stocks for decades. Yet, it has had a rare downturn over the past year and is trading down about 18% year to date. Image source: Getty Images. Considering its market dominance, diversity of revenue streams, excellent track record, and discounted valuation, S&P Global (SPGI +1.38%) is just too tempting to ignore right now. S&P Global is a long-term winner that should be on your radar. Here's why. S&P Global: Moat-protected Few financial stocks have been as strong and as steady as S&P Global over the years. Since 2008, it has had one calendar year when it was down: 2022, when it fell 29% during that year's bear market. Every other year, it has posted positive returns. Over the past 10 years, it has recorded an average annualized return of 16%, which beats the S&P 500's 12.7% average return over that period. Its steady performance stems from its dominant position in two of its major business lines, with moats in both. Most know S&P Global as the company that owns the S&P indexes, as well as a controlling stake in the Dow Jones indices. S&P is one of three dominant players that basically control the space. And as the standard by which it is used as a benchmark and for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to track, it is well shielded from disruption by other new competitors. ExpandNYSE: SPGIS&P GlobalToday's Change(1.38%) $5.87Current Price$432.46Key Data PointsMarket Cap$127BDay's Range$429.08 - $435.9752wk Range$381.61 - $579.05Volume733KAvg Vol2.5MGross Margin62.55%Dividend Yield0.90% The same applies to its credit rating business, and that moat is even wider. S&P Global is one of two firms, along with Moody's, that basically share control of 80% of the market. Fitch is a distant third. Its status in this business is fortified by regulators that designate it as a credit ratings agency, along with its reputation and the high switching costs involved with using another service. S&P Global also has business lines that offer market intelligence and commodities insights for institutional customers, and these businesses tend to do well when markets are down, giving S&P Global great balance. Ready to rebound This has been a rare dip for S&P Global, caused by weaker-than-expected guidance. While S&P expects 6% to 8% revenue growth and 8% to 10% earnings growth, the rates are down from last year. That is due to the potential for lower equity market returns impacting indexes, a sluggish economy impacting credit ratings, and the spinoff of its mobility analytics division later this year. These are short-term concerns. S&P Global is built for the long term. The opportunity to buy it at a 20% discount and at 21 times forward earnings is just too good to pass up. On top of that, it is a Dividend King with 53 straight years of dividend increases. It's really hard to find a more reliable long-term financial stock than S&P Global to buy and hold.Read NextFeb 17, 2026 •By Eric VolkmanWhy S&P Global Stock Inched Higher on TuesdayFeb 10, 2026 •By Eric VolkmanWhy S&P Global Stock Tumbled by Nearly 10% on TuesdayJan 30, 2026 •By Eric VolkmanThese 2 Financial Stocks Just Declared Dividend RaisesJan 12, 2026 •By Motley Fool YouTubeS&P Global: A Strong Contender in the Financial Sector?Jan 5, 2026 •By Eric VolkmanWhy S&P Global Stock Bumped 4% Higher TodayNov 22, 2025 •By Justin Pope3 Dividend Champions That Could Double Their Dividends From HereAbout the AuthorDave mainly covers financials, consumer goods, and technology stocks and ETFs. He wrote for the Fool from 2019-2023 and rejoined the Fool in 2026. In the past he's covered mutual funds and institutional investments for Pensions & Investments, personal finance for S&P, money markets and bonds for Crane Data, and stocks for ValueWalk.TMFdkovaleskiStocks MentionedS&P GlobalNYSE: SPGI$433.77(+1.68%)+$7.18*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.