NBC Securities Inc. Makes New $469,000 Investment in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,007 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $469,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its holdings in Moody’s by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 14,853 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $6,917,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Moody’s by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 35,555 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $16,558,000 after purchasing an additional 1,767 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in Moody’s by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 332,616 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $154,896,000 after purchasing an additional 4,725 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,563 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $728,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,030 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $480,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.4%

Moody’s stock opened at $487.68 on Friday. Moody’s Co. has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $531.93. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $455.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $473.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.27, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.39.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.25. Moody’s had a return on equity of 58.94% and a net margin of 29.03%. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.90 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Moody’s Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.77%. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 32.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on MCO. Wall Street Zen downgraded Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Bank of America began coverage on Moody’s in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $530.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Moody’s from $610.00 to $572.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Moody’s from $575.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $519.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total value of $181,687.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 62,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,445,682. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Moody’s Company 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.