NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) today approved a 13.9% increase in the regular quarterly cash dividend on the Company's common stock. 

"Raising the dividend underscores our strong financial position and our optimism about the future," said Douglas L. Peterson, President and CEO of S&P Global. "Returning cash to shareholders is a hallmark of our Company.  In 2016, we returned $1.5 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases."

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 at least the last 44 years.

The quarterly dividend will increase from $0.36 to $0.41 per share. The dividend will be payable on March 10, 2017, to shareholders of record on February 24, 2017.  The new annualized dividend rate of $1.64 per share represents an average compound annual dividend growth rate of 9.6% since 1974.    

About S&P Global:

S&P Global is a leading provider of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. The Company's divisions include S&P Global Ratings, S&P Global Market Intelligence, S&P Dow Jones Indices and S&P Global Platts. S&P Global has approximately 20,000 employees in 31 countries. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com.

SOURCE S&P Global