Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. Sells 12,137 Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc. trimmed its position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 4.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 233,223 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 12,137 shares during the period. Moody’s accounts for about 4.9% of Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Bristol Gate Capital Partners Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $98,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCO. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 72,689 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $28,389,000 after acquiring an additional 2,933 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado boosted its holdings in Moody’s by 392.6% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 24,668 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,634,000 after purchasing an additional 19,660 shares during the period. Motco increased its stake in Moody’s by 9,756.3% during the first quarter. Motco now owns 1,577 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $620,000 after purchasing an additional 1,561 shares during the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter worth $2,967,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 52.2% in the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 35,264 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,844,000 after buying an additional 12,099 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moody’s Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE:MCO opened at $490.11 on Friday. Moody’s Co. has a 1 year low of $298.86 and a 1 year high of $492.48. The business has a fifty day moving average of $466.86 and a 200-day moving average of $422.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 1.52. The stock has a market cap of $89.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.51, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.29.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.22. Moody’s had a net margin of 28.34% and a return on equity of 57.03%. The firm had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.30 EPS. Moody’s’s revenue was up 21.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 11.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 16th were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.69%. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 37.12%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $460.00 to $514.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Moody’s from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $482.00 to $455.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group increased their price target on Moody’s from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $420.00 to $451.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $477.08.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total transaction of $232,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,084,606.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Moody’s news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.43, for a total value of $848,010.66. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $473,647.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total transaction of $232,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,084,606.82. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,931 shares of company stock worth $1,332,825 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company’s stock.

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.