Kerusso Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Kerusso Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 32.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,207 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,510 shares during the quarter. Kerusso Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $3,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quent Long Short Global Small Cap Fund LP purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at $223,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Moody’s by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. Wingate Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at $215,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its position in shares of Moody’s by 45.1% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 94,814 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $48,436,000 after purchasing an additional 29,486 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Moody’s by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 14,006 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,155,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on MCO shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $489.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $531.00 price objective on Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $565.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.47.

Moody’s Stock Down 3.0%

MCO stock opened at $452.72 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.58 billion, a PE ratio of 32.45, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.45. Moody’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $402.28 and a twelve month high of $546.88. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $445.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $477.00.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.22 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.08 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.83 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued 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 is Friday, May 15th. Moody’s’s payout ratio is presently 30.12%.

Key Headlines Impacting Moody’s

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EPS beat and record Q1 performance: Moody’s reported $4.33 EPS (above consensus) and delivered record first-quarter results with revenue up ~8% year-over-year — a core driver supporting the stock. Moody’s Beats Q1 Forecasts as Revenue and Earnings Top Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Share buybacks accelerated: management increased the buyback authorization to $2.5 billion, a capital-return move that supports EPS and signals confidence from the board. Moody’s Boosts Buybacks To $2.5 Billion Following Q1 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analytics and AI tailwinds: management cited strong analytics demand and progress integrating AI into product offerings — longer-term growth levers that investors prize. MCO Q1 deep dive: AI integration and ratings demand drive growth amid volatility
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2026 guidance reiterated and essentially in line with Street: Moody’s set EPS guidance of 16.40–17.00, a range that tracks near consensus and reduces uncertainty but offers limited upside surprise. Moody’s profit rises on strong analytics growth, lifts annual forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend declared: Moody’s set a quarterly dividend of $1.03 (ex-div May 15, payable June 5), a modest yield that supports total-return investors but is not a major catalyst.
• Negative Sentiment: Top-line nuance and rising costs: some metrics showed revenue not meaningfully above consensus (mixed reads across outlets) and operating expenses increased in the quarter — factors that likely tempered the rally despite the EPS beat. MCO Q1 Earnings Beat on Rising Analytics Demand & Higher Issuances

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of Moody’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 $2,380,829.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,613,594.19. The trade was a 6.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,049.89. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 8,222 shares of company stock valued at $3,786,732 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.