SPGI Completes the Tax-Free Separation of its Mobility Business
Distribution: On July 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. (ET), S&P Global Inc. (NYSE: SPGI) completed the tax-free spin-off of 100% of its Mobility business, Mobility Global (NYSE: MBGL). Shareholders of record received one share of MBGL for every share owned of SPGI; fractional shares were paid out in cash. Investors should expect re-casted standalone financial information for 2025-1Q 2026 on July 6, 2026.
Regular-way Trading & Indexation: Shares of MBGL (as well as post-spin SPGI) commence so-called “regular way” trading this morning. S&P Global will remain a member in the S&P 500 Index while Mobility Global is set to replace Core Laboratories (NYSE: CLB) in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index prior to the market open on July 2, 2026. We estimate ETF-related ownership totals ~6.5% of pre-spin SPGI float, which compared with our initial expectations suggests ‘forced selling’ of MBGL, while still significant, may be less draconian.
When-issued Trading: For perspective, shares of Mobility Global (MBGL-W) opened on 6/26/2026 at ~$26 per share on de minimis volume before closing on a low note at ~$21 per share on trading volume of ~40k. On 6/29/2026, shares rebounded slightly, fluctuating between $21.90-$23.20 per share on volume of ~165k. On 6/30/2026, the last day of “when-issued” trading, MBGL-W continued to trend in the $22-$23 range on volume of ~156k before ultimately closing at $22.05 per share. While this is roughly in keeping with our view that current holders would likely rotate out of MBGL, we are frankly somewhat surprised by the consolidation at the $22-23 level, which we attribute, in part, to the broader market rally. For its part, shares of post-spin SPGI (SPGI-W) opened ‘when-issued’ trading on 6/26/2026 at $391.50 per share before finally closing at $384.00 per share on 6/30/2026 on notably anemic trading volume.
Pre- & Post-spin Recommendations: Following our initial pre-spin NEUTRAL recommendation earlier this month, shares of consolidated SPGI declined ~3.8% (slightly underperforming the S&P 500 and Russell 2000 by ~1.1% and ~5.3%, respectively). We consider the stock movement to be broadly in line with our thesis that 1) investors are more focused on near-term macro pressures rather than underlying fundamentals over the medium-term; 2) the transaction was already fully priced in given the stock’s move since its announcement; and 3) technical support seemingly existed at ~$405 per share.
On a post-spin basis, we reiterate our fair value estimate of $437 per share (13.8% implied upside) and $16 per share (28.4% implied downside) for S&P Global and Mobility Global, respectively. As such, we initiate post-spin SPGI at BUY and MBGL at SELL. To be certain, our overall view has not materially changed; in the near-term, current holders will likely rotate out of MBGL and into post-spin SPGI as 1) the majority, if not largely all, of SPGI investors likely own it for the Ratings/Indices businesses; 2) the natural indexation effect/impact; 3) MBGL has some elevated spin-related costs near term as well as a lack of an independent execution track record; and 4) there are seemingly better opportunities, on a relative basis, for those investors targeting so-called growth stocks.
Regarding post-spin SPGI, while we are cautious on the macro headwinds, the current valuation appears too cheap to ignore, in our view. At $384.00, the stock is trading at ~15.3x our estimated 2027 EBITDA of ~$8.07 billion (compared to peers’ average 18.2x 2027E EBITDA and SPGI’s 5-year historical average of ~21.6x). For MBGL, we think the trend observed with MBGL-W is indicative of what is to come for MBGL, except that we suspect the downward move to likely be sharper and more pronounced in “regular-way” trading. On the other hand, at $22.05, the stock is trading at ~16.6x our estimated 2027 EBITDA of ~$512 million (compared to peers’ average 14.9x 2027E EBITDA). In essence, we think the implied valuation is incorrectly skewed (i.e., SpinCo at an implied premium to RemainCo) as we do not think Mobility Global ought to command a higher valuation multiple than post-spin SPGI. That said, as MBGL plays through the bottoming out process, we think there me be opportunities to make trading gains as the company attracts its own investor base. As always, we will monitor the shares of both entities and update investors if/when we identify attractive entry points.
Please see our initiation report dated June 15, 2026 for more information.