Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.42 EPS

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) released its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.42, FiscalAI reports. Moody’s had a net margin of 31.69% and a return on equity of 70.97%. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. Moody’s updated its FY 2026 guidance to 16.500-17.000 EPS.

Moody’s Stock Performance

MCO opened at $489.25 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.07, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a fifty day moving average of $462.39 and a 200 day moving average of $465.09. Moody’s has a fifty-two week low of $402.28 and a fifty-two week high of $546.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Moody’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 price objective on Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Moody’s from $560.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Moody’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $550.58.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,534.95. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $665,533.89. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 52,564 shares in the company, valued at $23,846,709.88. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 3,250 shares of company stock worth $1,495,098. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Moody’s

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Moody’s in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Moody’s in the third quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Moody’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s posted Q2 EPS of $4.68, beating estimates of $4.26, and revenue of $2.19 billion also topped expectations. Article title: Moody’s Q2 2026 earnings press release
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Moody’s from $530 to $600 and reiterated an overweight rating, signaling confidence in further upside. Article title: Moody’s price target raised by JPMorgan
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts have highlighted supportive operating trends, including strong global bond issuance volumes, which could continue to aid Moody’s ratings business and revenue growth. Article title: Strength in Global Bond Issuance Volumes to Aid Moody’s Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s FY 2026 guidance was set at $16.50–$17.00 EPS, slightly below the consensus estimate, which may limit near-term upside despite the strong quarter.
• Negative Sentiment: Moody’s also warned that Indonesia risks are growing, a reminder that sovereign-credit and macro risk remains an important watch item for the company’s ratings outlook. Article title: Moody’s Warns Indonesia Risks Grow Despite 2.85% Deficit Target

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody’s Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moody’s is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators.

Moody’s operates primarily through two complementary businesses.