Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the thirteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $390.42.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Moody’s from $355.00 to $380.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Moody’s from $427.00 to $411.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on shares of Moody’s from $362.00 to $350.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Moody’s from $425.00 to $405.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $387.64 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $386.51 and a 200 day moving average of $361.81. The company has a market capitalization of $70.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. Moody’s has a 52 week low of $285.13 and a 52 week high of $407.62.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 55.23% and a net margin of 27.16%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.60 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Moody’s will post 10.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. This is a boost from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 2,547 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $376.50, for a total value of $958,945.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 54,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,368,273.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Natixis acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Ancora Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Moody’s by 4,900.0% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Moody’s during the third quarter worth about $35,000. 90.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody’s Company Profile

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.