Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Issues Earnings Results

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

Moody’s Stock Down 3.2%

Moody’s stock opened at $489.25 on Wednesday. Moody’s has a twelve month low of $402.28 and a twelve month high of $546.88. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $462.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $465.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.34.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total value of $684,194.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,189 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,067,397.71. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $900,534.95. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,495,098. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Moody’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the third quarter worth $30,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Moody’s in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in Moody’s in the third quarter valued at $32,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $565.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Moody’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Moody’s from $560.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $491.00 to $496.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $550.58.

Key Moody’s News

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.