Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) Receives $521.40 Consensus PT from Analysts

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $519.07.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on Moody’s from $570.00 to $520.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $493.00 to $498.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $523.00 to $552.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $499.42 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $483.66 and its 200-day moving average is $473.68. The firm has a market cap of $89.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.38. Moody’s has a 1-year low of $378.71 and a 1-year high of $531.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77.

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 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 firm had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.90 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Moody’s will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued 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 (DPR) is currently 32.47%.

Insider Activity

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the company’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 value of $181,687.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 62,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,445,682. This represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC raised its holdings in Moody’s by 1,000.0% during the 1st quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 55 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter worth $30,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its stake in Moody’s by 42.9% during the second quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 80 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Moody’s during the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Moody’s by 5,050.0% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.