Wells Fargo & Company Raises Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Price Target to $660.00

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its target price raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $620.00 to $660.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 22.41% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $574.00 price objective on Moody’s and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Daiwa America upgraded Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Moody’s from $534.00 to $507.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised shares of Moody’s from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Moody’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $560.94.

Moody’s Price Performance

Moody’s stock opened at $539.19 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $500.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $498.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84. Moody’s has a 1 year low of $378.71 and a 1 year high of $546.88. The company has a market capitalization of $96.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.45.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.22. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.92% and a return on equity of 63.58%. The firm had revenue of $2.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.21 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.500-14.750 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Moody’s will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,167 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.95, for a total value of $558,934.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares in the company, valued at $29,255,223.90. The trade was a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold a total of 1,739 shares of company stock valued at $841,445 over the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in Moody’s by 0.3% during the second quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 7,400 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,712,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. VestGen Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. VestGen Advisors LLC now owns 1,097 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $550,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. EWA LLC raised its stake in Moody’s by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. EWA LLC now owns 501 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its position in Moody’s by 0.4% in the third quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,899 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,334,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in Moody’s by 50.0% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 66 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Moody’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded Moody’s and raised its price target (now $660), signaling roughly ~22% upside from the recent price and supporting buy interest. Moody’s (MCO) Gets a Buy from Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa America upgraded MCO from Hold to Strong‑Buy, adding to the upgrade momentum and analyst conviction. Zacks – Daiwa Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks, Barchart) expect Moody’s to again beat estimates with double‑digit bottom‑line growth, reinforcing the stock’s premium multiple given recurring revenue and recent strong results. Will Moody’s (MCO) Beat Estimates Again? What to Expect From Moody’s Next Quarterly Earnings Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Appointment of Lisa P. Sawicki to the board has prompted renewed valuation analysis; governance/strategic implications are being debated but are unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. Assessing Moody’s (MCO) Valuation After Lisa P. Sawicki Joins The Board
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term commentary asks whether recent multi‑year gains leave limited upside today; this frames some investors’ hesitation despite upgrades and strong earnings momentum. Is It Too Late To Consider Moody’s (MCO) After Strong Multi‑Year Share Price Gains

About Moody’s

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.