Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Shares Purchased by Sterling Investment Management LLC

Sterling Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 24.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,464 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 878 shares during the quarter. Moody’s accounts for approximately 1.3% of Sterling Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Sterling Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $1,743,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Natixis bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 4,900.0% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Down 0.2 %

Moody’s stock opened at $390.24 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $386.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $362.64. Moody’s Co. has a twelve month low of $290.98 and a twelve month high of $407.62. The firm has a market cap of $71.22 billion, a PE ratio of 44.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.74.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.33 by ($0.14). Moody’s had a return on equity of 55.23% and a net margin of 27.16%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.60 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 10.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is an increase from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 2,547 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $376.50, for a total transaction of $958,945.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 54,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,368,273.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Moody’s from $455.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Moody’s from $362.00 to $350.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Moody’s from $420.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $340.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $390.42.

About Moody’s

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.