Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) Shares Bought by Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC

Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 8.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,005 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 447 shares during the quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $2,796,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Moody’s by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,571 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,690,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 741 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $777,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Advisory LLC now owns 1,143 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $598,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Moody’s by 2.1% in the first quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,205 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $561,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of Moody’s stock opened at $499.33 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $89.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.12, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.38. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $480.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $473.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. Moody’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $531.93.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.58 by $0.25. Moody’s had a return on equity of 60.37% and a net margin of 29.15%. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total transaction of $181,687.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 62,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,445,682. The trade was a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MCO. Bank of America began coverage on Moody’s in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $530.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on Moody’s from $570.00 to $520.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 4th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $504.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $550.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Moody’s from $445.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One investment 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $519.07.

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.