Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Moody’s (NYSE:MCO – Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.
MCO has been the subject of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Moody’s from $574.00 to $540.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $550.00 target price for the company. Daiwa Securities Group raised Moody’s from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $500.00 to $590.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $550.25.
Get Our Latest Report on Moody’s
Moody’s Stock Down 0.3%
Moody’s (NYSE:MCO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.39 by $0.25. Moody’s had a return on equity of 66.01% and a net margin of 31.86%.The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.62 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Moody’s will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Moody’s Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.12%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $2,380,829.23. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,613,594.19. The trade was a 6.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $171,266.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,049.89. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,755 shares of company stock worth $3,144,524. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Moody’s by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 363 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. DeDora Capital Inc. lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 1,315 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 753 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its stake in shares of Moody’s by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 1,081 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VestGen Advisors LLC grew its position in Moody’s by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. VestGen Advisors LLC now owns 1,097 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $550,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.
About Moody’s
Moody’s Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moody’s is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators.
Moody’s operates primarily through two complementary businesses.
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