1,632 Moody’s Corporation $MCO Shares Sold by Verdence Capital Advisors LLC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 73.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 586 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,632 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $266,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Moody’s by 87.1% in the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 58 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1,866.7% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 59 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the second quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the first quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Performance

MCO opened at $493.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The company has a market cap of $85.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.11, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.35. Moody’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $477.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $467.63.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $4.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($0.11). Moody’s had a net margin of 35.26% and a return on equity of 84.76%. The company had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MCO. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $557.00 to $572.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Daiwa Securities Group upped their target price on Moody’s from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Mizuho raised their target price on Moody’s from $521.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $600.00 price target (up from $565.00) on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $552.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 923 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $419,965.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 51,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,370,620. This represents a 1.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 8,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,176,792. The trade was a 53.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 12,336 shares of company stock worth $5,984,081. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.