Moody’s Corporation $MCO Stock Holdings Boosted by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 8.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,703 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,103 shares during the period. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $12,145,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MCO. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 87.1% during the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 58 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquired a new stake in Moody’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Moody’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In other news, CEO Michael L. West sold 9,946 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $488.00, for a total transaction of $4,853,648.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 8,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,176,792. This represents a 53.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Jason D. Phillips sold 195 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $509.23, for a total transaction of $99,299.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $964,481.62. The trade was a 9.33% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 11,249 shares of company stock worth $5,466,686 in the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on MCO shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Moody’s from $597.00 to $595.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Moody’s from $470.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Moody’s from $557.00 to $572.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 price objective (up from $565.00) on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $570.00 to $588.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Moody’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $552.63.

Moody’s Stock Up 4.8%

Moody’s stock opened at $528.11 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $91.05 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.29. Moody’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $402.28 and a fifty-two week high of $546.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $477.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $467.27.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($0.11). Moody’s had a return on equity of 84.76% and a net margin of 35.26%. The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 11th. Investors of record on Friday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.11%.

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data, analytics and risk-management solutions. Through Moody’s Investors Service, the company assigns credit ratings and publishes research on corporate, government and structured-finance debt issuers, helping investors and other market participants evaluate credit risk.

Through Moody’s Analytics, the company provides financial intelligence, economic research, data, software and advisory services. Its offerings support credit analysis, lending, portfolio management, enterprise risk management, compliance and related functions across financial institutions, corporations, governments and other organizations.

Moody’s traces its origins to 1909, when John Moody established the company that introduced published credit ratings for bonds.