Moody’s Corporation $MCO Shares Sold by NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC decreased its holdings in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 91.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,217 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 22,612 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $1,017,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MCO. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Moody’s by 87.1% in the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 58 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in Moody’s by 1,866.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 59 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Moody’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new position in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s shares surged in after-hours trading, adding approximately $3 billion to the company’s market capitalization. The move indicates strong near-term investor demand, although the report did not identify a specific fundamental catalyst. Moody’s Surges 4% After Hours, Adding Roughly $3 Billion in Market Cap
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan lowered its price target to $555 from $570 but maintained an Overweight rating. The revised target still implies meaningful upside from the referenced trading level, suggesting the bank remains constructive on Moody’s long-term earnings outlook. JPMorgan Adjusts Price Target on Moody’s to $555 From $570
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s is scheduled to report quarterly results on Wednesday. The event is a near-term catalyst, with investors focused on whether revenue growth, credit-market activity and the company’s full-year earnings guidance support current valuation levels. Moody’s Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated a Hold rating, reflecting a more balanced view of the stock’s valuation and growth prospects. Moody’s Gets a Hold from Morgan Stanley
• Negative Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets issued a pessimistic forecast for MCO, adding pressure to the outlook as investors assess whether the stock’s premium valuation is justified. BMO Capital Markets Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Moody’s Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks said Moody’s lacks the preferred combination of factors for a likely earnings beat in the upcoming report, raising the risk of a disappointing result or cautious guidance. Moody’s Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?

Moody’s Stock Performance

MCO stock opened at $484.30 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $83.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.35. Moody’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $402.28 and a 1 year high of $546.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $477.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $466.52.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%. Moody’s’s revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.56 earnings per share. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Moody’s’s payout ratio is currently 26.13%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MCO. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Moody’s from $523.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $512.00 to $470.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $587.00 to $594.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $555.74.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $419,965.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 51,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,370,620. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Moody’s

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data, and analytical tools. Through Moody’s Ratings, the company evaluates the creditworthiness of companies, governments, financial institutions, and structured finance securities, offering opinions and research used by investors, issuers, and other market participants.

Through Moody’s Analytics, the company provides financial intelligence, economic research, risk assessment tools, data, and software. Its products support credit and market risk management, compliance, portfolio analysis, lending, insurance, and corporate planning.

Moody’s traces its origins to 1909, when John Moody published an analysis of railroad securities.