Raiffeisen Bank International AG Makes New $5.54 Million Investment in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 11,694 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,537,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of MCO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth $988,750,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Moody’s by 92,060.2% in the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 612,865 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $290,112,000 after purchasing an additional 612,200 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 73.6% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 1,131,656 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $534,255,000 after acquiring an additional 479,599 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 510.8% during the 4th quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 422,624 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $200,058,000 after acquiring an additional 353,431 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth about $150,376,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Trading Up 2.0%

MCO opened at $488.42 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.87 billion, a PE ratio of 43.34, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.40. Moody’s Co. has a 1-year low of $378.71 and a 1-year high of $531.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $448.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $472.13.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.58 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.90 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.03% and a return on equity of 58.94%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Moody’s Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Moody’s’s payout ratio is currently 32.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on MCO shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $530.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $504.00 price objective for the company. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $515.87.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $522.20, for a total value of $146,738.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,321,046.80. The trade was a 0.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,111 shares of company stock valued at $520,603. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Moody’s Profile

Moody’s Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody’s Analytics and Moody’s Investors Services. The Moody’s Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets.