Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Price Target Raised to $414.00 at Robert W. Baird

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its price target lifted by Robert W. Baird from $405.00 to $414.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the business services provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Moody’s from $455.00 to $420.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Moody’s from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $430.00 to $414.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $411.00 to $424.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $420.00 to $410.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moody’s presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $398.50.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $387.89 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $384.13 and a 200-day moving average of $374.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.83 billion, a PE ratio of 42.35, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. Moody’s has a 12 month low of $298.86 and a 12 month high of $407.62.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $3.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.31. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 27.01% and a return on equity of 54.50%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.99 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Moody’s will post 10.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 37.12%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 87.7% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 122 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Milestone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.