Walter Public Investments Inc. Sells 23,859 Shares of Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Walter Public Investments Inc. cut its position in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 52.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,714 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 23,859 shares during the quarter. Moody’s comprises 2.3% of Walter Public Investments Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Walter Public Investments Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $9,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MCO. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 131.7% in the first quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,163 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $508,000 after buying an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Moody’s by 15.2% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 18,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,855,000 after buying an additional 2,375 shares during the period. Oxbow Advisors LLC grew its position in Moody’s by 1.5% during the first quarter. Oxbow Advisors LLC now owns 34,555 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $15,075,000 after buying an additional 502 shares in the last quarter. Baer Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Moody’s during the first quarter worth about $274,000. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Moody’s by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,137 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,534.95. This represents a 7.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total transaction of $684,194.13. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,189 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,067,397.71. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 3,250 shares of company stock worth $1,495,098 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $526.00 to $489.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Moody’s from $524.00 to $521.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $565.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $541.83.

Moody’s Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE MCO opened at $489.61 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $452.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $466.21. Moody’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $402.28 and a twelve month high of $546.88. The company has a market capitalization of $85.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.10, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.34.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.22 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.11 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.83 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.53%.

Moody’s Company Profile

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.