First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its stake in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO – Free Report) by 269.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,158 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,574 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $980,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 34.6% during the third quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 810 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the period. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of Moody’s by 53.1% in the third quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 902 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $419,000 after buying an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Sacks & Associates LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $3,252,000. Riversedge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 2,804 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,273,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital raised its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 2,724 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,250,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
MCO has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Moody’s from $512.00 to $470.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Moody’s from $587.00 to $594.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Moody’s from $521.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $523.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Moody’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $555.74.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Moody’s
Moody’s News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Moody’s shares surged in after-hours trading, adding approximately $3 billion to the company’s market capitalization. The move indicates strong near-term investor demand, although the report did not identify a specific fundamental catalyst. Moody’s Surges 4% After Hours, Adding Roughly $3 Billion in Market Cap
- Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target to $555 from $570 but maintained an Overweight rating. The revised target still implies meaningful upside from the referenced trading level, suggesting the bank remains constructive on Moody’s long-term earnings outlook. JPMorgan Adjusts Price Target on Moody’s to $555 From $570
- Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s is scheduled to report quarterly results on Wednesday. The event is a near-term catalyst, with investors focused on whether revenue growth, credit-market activity and the company’s full-year earnings guidance support current valuation levels. Moody’s Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday
- Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated a Hold rating, reflecting a more balanced view of the stock’s valuation and growth prospects. Moody’s Gets a Hold from Morgan Stanley
- Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets issued a pessimistic forecast for MCO, adding pressure to the outlook as investors assess whether the stock’s premium valuation is justified. BMO Capital Markets Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Moody’s Stock Price
- Negative Sentiment: Zacks said Moody’s lacks the preferred combination of factors for a likely earnings beat in the upcoming report, raising the risk of a disappointing result or cautious guidance. Moody’s Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
Moody’s Price Performance
Moody’s stock opened at $484.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. Moody’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The firm has a market cap of $83.88 billion, a PE ratio of 30.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $477.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $466.52.
Moody’s (NYSE:MCO – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody’s had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.56 EPS. Moody’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Moody’s Dividend Announcement
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.13%.
Insider Activity at Moody’s
In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $484.30, for a total transaction of $710,468.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,166,165.20. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.
Moody’s Profile
Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data, and analytical tools. Through Moody’s Ratings, the company evaluates the creditworthiness of companies, governments, financial institutions, and structured finance securities, offering opinions and research used by investors, issuers, and other market participants.
Through Moody’s Analytics, the company provides financial intelligence, economic research, risk assessment tools, data, and software. Its products support credit and market risk management, compliance, portfolio analysis, lending, insurance, and corporate planning.
Moody’s traces its origins to 1909, when John Moody published an analysis of railroad securities.
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