Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO – Free Report) by 95.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 559 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 11,763 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $286,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCO. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $267,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 10,916 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $5,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $736,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 25,303 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,692,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 72,615 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,423,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.
Moody’s Price Performance
NYSE MCO opened at $452.46 on Monday. Moody’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $402.28 and a 52 week high of $546.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market cap of $79.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $445.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $471.33.
Moody’s Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is 29.53%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
MCO has been the topic of several research reports. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $565.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $610.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.29.
Get Our Latest Report on Moody’s
Insider Activity
In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the company’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 $2,380,829.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,789 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,613,594.19. This represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,049.89. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 8,680 shares of company stock valued at $3,952,188. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.
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.
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