Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Boosts Stock Position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,143 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 198 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter worth $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Moody’s by 114.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 75 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Moody’s in the first quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of MCO stock opened at $478.45 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $86.70 billion, a PE ratio of 43.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $474.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $444.89. Moody’s Co. has a 12 month low of $342.16 and a 12 month high of $495.10.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.32. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.05% and a return on equity of 57.97%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.43 earnings per share. Moody’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 12.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. Moody’s’s payout ratio is presently 31.05%.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $462.40, for a total transaction of $777,294.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,415 shares in the company, valued at $654,296. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $455.00 to $464.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. Evercore ISI began coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $521.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on Moody’s from $430.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Moody’s from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $500.00.

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.