Danske Bank A S Purchases 8,688 Shares of Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Danske Bank A S grew its holdings in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 9.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 96,039 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,688 shares during the quarter. Danske Bank A S’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $49,062,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Two Sigma Investments LP boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 1,222.0% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 324,251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $154,499,000 after purchasing an additional 299,724 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Moody’s by 340.0% in the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 283,744 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $135,198,000 after acquiring an additional 219,251 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 10,311.9% in the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 197,826 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $94,260,000 after acquiring an additional 195,926 shares during the period. Windacre Partnership LLC boosted its stake in Moody’s by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC now owns 1,164,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $555,052,000 after acquiring an additional 181,305 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Moody’s by 70.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,396 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $191,259,000 after acquiring an additional 166,159 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $456.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $448.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $476.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.77 billion, a PE ratio of 32.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.37. Moody’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $402.28 and a 52 week high of $546.88.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.22 by $0.11. Moody’s had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.83 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on MCO shares. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $574.00 to $540.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $531.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Moody’s from $560.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $437.77, for a total transaction of $642,208.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,489 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,046,819.53. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $171,266.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,049.89. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 8,222 shares of company stock valued at $3,786,732. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s 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.