Wall Street Analysts Predict 9% Returns for S&P 500 in 2026
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 18 2026
0mins
Should l Buy SPGI?
Source: Yahoo Finance
- Market Recovery Outlook: Analysts predict that the S&P 500 will achieve at least a 9% return in 2026, marking the first time since the 1990s dot-com bubble that it will record four consecutive years of double-digit returns, indicating a strong market recovery signal.
- Inflation and Rate Impact: With cooling inflation and stable Fed interest rates, continued corporate profit growth has led to a stronger-than-expected stock market performance in 2025, boosting investor confidence, although potential market volatility remains a concern.
- Investor Risk Awareness: Despite optimistic forecasts, analysts caution everyday investors against trying to time the market, as chasing returns can lead to disappointment, especially given the ongoing economic uncertainties.
- Long-term Investment Strategy: Experts recommend that investors focus on long-term strategies and maintain a balanced risk profile, with younger investors considering higher-risk portfolios while older investors should gradually shift towards more stable investments to mitigate market fluctuations.
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Analyst Views on SPGI
Wall Street analysts forecast SPGI stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for SPGI is 617.77 USD with a low forecast of 546.00 USD and a high forecast of 675.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
15 Analyst Rating
14 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 468.210
Low
546.00
Averages
617.77
High
675.00
Current: 468.210
Low
546.00
Averages
617.77
High
675.00
About SPGI
S&P Global Inc. provides essential intelligence. Its operations consist of five businesses: S&P Global Market Intelligence (Market Intelligence), S&P Global Ratings (Ratings), S&P Global Commodity Insights (Commodity Insights), S&P Global Mobility (Mobility) and S&P Dow Jones Indices (Indices). Market Intelligence is a global provider of multi-asset-class data and analytics integrated with purpose-built workflow solutions. Ratings is an independent provider of credit ratings, research, and analytics, offering investors and other market participants information, ratings and benchmarks. Commodity Insights is an independent provider of information and benchmark prices for the commodity and energy markets. Mobility is a provider of solutions serving the full automotive value chain, including vehicle manufacturers and retailers. Indices is a global index provider that maintains a variety of valuation and index benchmarks for investment advisors, wealth managers and institutional investors.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Spin-Off Plan: S&P Global (SPGI) is set to spin off its Mobility unit into a standalone entity named Mobility Global, Inc., aiming to enhance business focus despite recent stock price declines of 11.27% and 11.10% over one and seven days, respectively.
- Shareholder Return Comparison: While the total shareholder return over the past year has decreased by 8.18%, the three-year and five-year returns stand at 29.33% and 46.84%, respectively, indicating that long-term holders still see gains, reflecting market recognition of the company's long-term value.
- P/E Ratio Analysis: With a current P/E ratio of 33.6x, significantly above the US Capital Markets industry average of 22.5x and peer average of 30.8x, the market appears to price in high expectations for future earnings growth, even as growth rates lag behind the broader market.
- Cash Flow Model: Although the P/E suggests overvaluation, the DCF model estimates a fair value of $352.38 per share, well below the current trading price of $468.21, indicating that market expectations for future cash flows may be overly optimistic.
See More
SPGI Real-Time Buying and Selling Signal Analysis
- Order Flow Analysis: By analyzing buying and selling trends from both retail and institutional traders, order flow analytics provide a deeper understanding of price behavior and market sentiment, enabling traders to make more informed decisions.
- SPGI Price Performance: At the time of the signal, SPGI was priced at $449.31, and subsequently reached an intraday high of $467.9 at 2:45 PM EST, reflecting a 4.14% increase, indicating a positive market reaction to the signal.
- Market Sentiment Insights: The analysis of real-time buying and selling signals not only reveals current market dynamics but also helps investors assess potential investment opportunities, thereby optimizing their investment strategies.
- Risk Disclaimer: While order flow data provides valuable market insights, investing involves risks, including the possibility of principal loss, and investors should consult licensed financial advisors to make informed decisions.
See More
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- Software Stock Decline: The iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF (NASDAQ:IGV) fell 15% in January, marking its worst month since 2008, as investors fear that AI agents may compress traditional per-user subscription models, indicating concerns over future profitability in software stocks.
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- Data Layer Hit: As software interfaces become cheaper, the market questions the rationale for paying high margins for curated data, leading to a roughly 13% drop in Wolters Kluwer NV (OTC:WTKWY) following the Anthropic news, reflecting broader weakness in legal publishing and data services.
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See More
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- Consumer Feedback Driven: CARFAX has selected the nation's top dealerships based on over 10.8 million verified consumer ratings, achieving an impressive average score of 4.6 out of 5, which not only enhances the dealers' market reputation but also provides reliable purchasing references for consumers.
- Long-Term Partnerships: All award-winning dealerships from Fred Beans Automotive Group are CARFAX Lifetime Dealers, enabling them to leverage accident, damage, and service information from CARFAX Vehicle History Reports to enhance customer trust, thereby increasing customer loyalty and repeat purchase rates.
- Award Display and Promotion: Winning dealerships will receive display materials and digital assets to help promote their excellent ratings on social media using the #CARFAXTopRated tag, further attracting potential customers and increasing brand visibility.
- Industry Impact: CARFAX's awards not only recognize outstanding dealer performance but also promote a focus on transparency and customer experience across the automotive industry, fostering trust between consumers and dealerships.
See More
Movers in the Market: AMD, Super Micro, Enphase, Alphabet, Chipotle, Silicon Labs, Novo Nordisk, and Others
- Stock Market Trends: Stock futures showed a mostly higher trend on Wednesday after a recent selloff.
- Concerns Over AI Impact: The selloff was driven by concerns regarding the implications of the artificial intelligence boom for software companies.
See More
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