If you’ve spent any time looking for a ticker symbol for McGraw Hill lately, you probably noticed things are a bit... different. For years, investors kept searching for the mcgraw hill stock price only to find a whole lot of nothing—or rather, a series of private equity owners holding the keys.
But as of early 2026, the landscape has shifted. We aren't in the "private era" anymore.
Honestly, the story of this company is a wild ride of being passed around like a hot potato between massive investment firms before finally landing back on the public stage. It’s not just about textbooks anymore. If you're still thinking of them as the people who made your heavy 10th-grade biology book, you’re missing the actual reason anyone is trading this stock right now.
The Big Return: McGraw Hill Stock Price Today
So, here’s the deal. After being owned by Apollo Global Management and then Platinum Equity, McGraw Hill finally went public again in July 2025. It trades under the ticker MH on the New York Stock Exchange.
The IPO wasn't exactly a moonshot. They priced the shares at $17.00, which was actually below the initial target range of $19 to $22. It happens. Investors were a little skeptical about the debt levels and whether a "legacy" publisher could truly act like a tech company.
Since that debut, the mcgraw hill stock price has been on a bit of a roller coaster. We saw a peak around $18.00 in late November 2025, but as of mid-January 2026, it’s hovering closer to the $14.80 mark.
Why the dip? Well, the latest quarterly numbers showed a slight revenue decline in the K-12 sector. Schools are being a bit more cautious with their budgets, and the "cliff" of pandemic-era stimulus funding is finally hitting the balance sheets.
What’s actually driving the valuation?
It’s all about the "Digital Pivot." If you hear CEO Simon Allen talk, he’s going to beat the drum on "re-occurring revenue."
Basically, they don't want to sell you one book and never see you again. They want you on a subscription. As of the last report, digital revenue is growing at about 7.6% year-over-year. In the Higher Education world, their "Inclusive Access" sales—where students get digital materials automatically as part of tuition—jumped by a massive 37%.
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That’s where the money is.
The Private Equity Shadow
You can’t talk about the mcgraw hill stock price without acknowledging the $4.5 billion elephant in the room. Platinum Equity bought this company in 2021. Before that, Apollo had it. These firms are notorious for "leveraging up"—which is a fancy way of saying they loaded the company with debt to pay for the acquisition.
When McGraw Hill hit the NYSE in 2025, they used about $385 million of the IPO proceeds just to pay down some of those loans.
Even now, the company is carrying a significant debt load. For an investor, that’s the big "red flag" or at least the yellow one. When interest rates are wonky, companies with big debt are the first ones to feel the squeeze.
However, they did make a $150 million principal prepayment in October 2025. They’re trying to clean up the house. It’s working, sorta. They’ve managed to save about $40 million in annual interest costs just from these aggressive paydowns.
Is McGraw Hill Just a "Textbook" Company?
Common misconception: "Printing books is a dying business, so the stock is a dog."
Wrong.
McGraw Hill is basically a data and software company now. They own ALEKS, which is an AI-powered math platform. If you’ve got a kid in school, there’s a high chance they’re using ALEKS. It adapts to what the student knows and doesn't know.
They also have McGraw Hill Plus and Connect. These aren't PDFs of books; they’re full-blown learning ecosystems.
Market Share Realities
- U.S. Higher Ed: They hit a record 30% market share recently.
- K-12: It’s a bit more cyclical. 2025 was a "small" year because there weren't many big state-wide "adoptions" (when a state like Texas or California buys new math or science books for everyone).
- International: This is the wildcard. They’re struggling a bit in some markets where the digital transition is slower.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ticker
If you look up "McGraw Hill" on some older finance sites, you might see "MHP" or references to S&P Global.
Don't get confused.
The original McGraw-Hill Companies split years ago. The financial part (ratings and data) became S&P Global (SPGI). The education part was sold off and is what we’re talking about now. If you buy SPGI, you’re buying the S&P 500 ratings business. If you want the textbooks and ALEKS, you’re looking for MH.
Actionable Insights for Investors
If you're eyeing the mcgraw hill stock price, you need to look past the "education" label and treat it like a SaaS (Software as a Service) play with a debt problem.
- Watch the Debt-to-EBITDA ratio: This is the pulse of the company. If they keep paying down debt as they did in late 2025, the stock has room to re-rate higher.
- Monitor Adoption Cycles: 2026 and 2027 are expected to be "big" years for K-12 adoptions, specifically with California math. If they win those contracts, expect a bump.
- Check Digital Growth: If digital revenue growth ever dips below 5%, the "tech transformation" narrative dies, and the stock will likely trade at a much lower multiple.
The current price of $14.81 is a far cry from the $17.00 IPO price. For some, that’s a "falling knife." For others who believe in the 30% Higher Ed market share, it looks like a discount on a legacy brand that's finally figured out how to live on the internet.
Next Steps to Track the Value
- Set an alert for $16.50: This was a recent resistance level. Breaking back above this would signal that the post-IPO sell-off is over.
- Review the Q3 2025 filing: Specifically, look at the "Remaining Performance Obligation" (RPO). It sat at $1.9 billion last September. If that number grows, it means future revenue is already locked in.
- Follow the California Math Adoption news: This is the single biggest catalyst for the K-12 segment in the next 12 months.