Private Advisor Group LLC Increases Holdings in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its holdings in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 24.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,497 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $2,398,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of MCO opened at $487.17 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The business has a fifty day moving average of $455.50 and a 200 day moving average of $466.07. The company has a market cap of $85.11 billion, a PE ratio of 34.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.34. Moody’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.11 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 31.69% and a return on equity of 70.97%. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $3.83 earnings per share. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.71 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is 29.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MCO shares. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $535.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $524.00 to $521.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Moody’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $545.06.

Insider Activity

In other Moody’s news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $900,534.95. This trade represents a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $665,533.89. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 52,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,846,709.88. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,495,098. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Moody’s 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.