JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Price Target to $560.00

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its target price cut by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $580.00 to $560.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price suggests a potential upside of 14.16% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on MCO. Mizuho lifted their price target on Moody’s from $532.00 to $539.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Moody’s from $597.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Moody’s from $526.00 to $471.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Moody’s from $445.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $542.33.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of MCO stock opened at $490.54 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $87.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.41. Moody’s has a fifty-two week low of $378.71 and a fifty-two week high of $531.93. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $493.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $484.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.84.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $2.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 63.58% and a net margin of 29.92%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.21 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.500-14.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Moody’s will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other news, insider Michael L. West sold 3,704 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.10, for a total value of $1,893,114.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,209 shares in the company, valued at $4,195,619.90. The trade was a 31.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Noemie Clemence Heuland sold 897 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.24, for a total value of $455,891.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,148 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,091,699.52. This represents a 29.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,423 shares of company stock valued at $4,802,876. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Moody’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Heartwood Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

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.