Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Purchases 11,925 Shares of Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 7.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 167,790 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,925 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $73,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCO. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,097,101,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter valued at $395,096,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 73.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,716,304 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $876,775,000 after purchasing an additional 726,971 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 72.5% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,081,807 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $471,963,000 after buying an additional 454,684 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 50,985.1% during the 4th quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 420,430 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $214,777,000 after buying an additional 419,607 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Moody’s

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s latest quarterly report topped expectations, with strong revenue growth and raised guidance helping reinforce the company’s earnings momentum. Moodys Corp (MCO) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth and Raised Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Clear Street reiterated its Buy rating on Moody’s, adding to the view that the company’s business remains fundamentally sound after earnings. Clear Street Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Moody’s (MCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Moody’s strong Q2 performance and reaffirmed bullish views, citing solid fundamentals and continued earnings strength. Moody’s Corporation: Strong Q2, I Reiterate My Buy Rating As Fundamentals Are Still Sound
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s also released its quarterly dividend announcement, which is supportive for income investors but not likely a major near-term stock catalyst. Moody’s Corporation dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on valuation, noting that Moody’s may look expensive relative to fair value despite the earnings beat, which could temper upside. Moody’s (MCO) Stock Looks Expensive Relative To Fair Value
• Negative Sentiment: Investor attention is also on broader concerns about valuation after the earnings beat, with some coverage suggesting the stock’s premium pricing may limit further gains. Moody’s (MCO) Earnings Beat Puts Valuation Back In Focus

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MCO. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $557.00 to $572.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 target price on Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $535.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Moody’s from $489.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have given 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 price target of $553.11.

Moody’s Trading Down 0.2%

MCO stock opened at $471.30 on Friday. Moody’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $402.28 and a 52 week high of $546.88. The company has a market capitalization of $82.34 billion, a PE ratio of 29.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.34. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $465.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $464.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.19.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 34.25% and a return on equity of 80.35%. The business’s revenue was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.56 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 26.13%.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 7.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $665,533.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 52,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,846,709.88. The trade was a 2.72% 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. Insiders have sold 3,250 shares of company stock worth $1,495,098 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.