Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Shares Sold by Sarasin & Partners LLP

Sarasin & Partners LLP lowered its position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 20.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 445,990 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 116,419 shares during the period. Moody’s comprises approximately 2.2% of Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $207,693,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in Moody’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Moody’s by 80.6% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new stake in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $66,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $485.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $87.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $455.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $473.61. Moody’s Co. has a 12 month low of $378.71 and a 12 month high of $531.93.

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

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on MCO. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Moody’s from $489.00 to $523.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $504.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $575.00 to $525.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Moody’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $519.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $463.08, for a total value of $192,178.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 62,824 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,092,537.92. This represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.