NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of McGraw Hill Financial (NYSE: MHFI) today approved a 7.1% increase in the regular quarterly cash dividend on the Corporation's common stock. 

"Today's action demonstrates our long-term commitment to deploying capital in ways that build total shareholder return," said Douglas L. Peterson, president and CEO of McGraw Hill Financial. "We have returned more than $4 billion in cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases since 2011, including approximately $1.3 billion last year."

The Company has paid a dividend each year since 1937 and is one of fewer than 25 companies in the S&P 500 that has increased its dividend annually for the last 41 years.

The quarterly dividend will increase from $0.28 to $0.30 per share. The dividend will be payable on March 12, 2014, to shareholders of record on February 26, 2014.  The new annualized dividend rate of $1.20 per share represents an average compound annual dividend growth rate of 9.5% since 1974. 

About McGraw Hill Financial:
McGraw Hill Financial is a leading financial intelligence company providing the global capital and commodity markets with independent benchmarks, credit ratings, portfolio and enterprise risk solutions, and analytics. The Company's iconic brands include: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, J.D. Power, and McGraw Hill Construction. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 27 countries. Additional information is available at www.mhfi.com.

Investor Relations: http://investor.mhfi.com

SOURCE McGraw Hill Financial