Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Stock Price Target Cut by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its price target lowered by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $570.00 to $555.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 20.38% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also commented on MCO. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on shares of Moody’s from $510.00 to $520.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $505.00 price objective (up from $490.00) on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Moody’s from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Friday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $610.00 price objective on the stock. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Moody’s currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $555.74.

Moody’s Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of MCO stock traded down $3.10 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $461.03. 269,491 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,051,700. The stock has a market cap of $79.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.28, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.35. Moody’s has a fifty-two week low of $402.28 and a fifty-two week high of $546.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $477.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $465.89.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 34.25% and a return on equity of 80.35%. Moody’s’s revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.56 earnings per share. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Moody’s will post 16.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $484.30, for a total value of $710,468.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,166,165.20. This represents a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its stake in Moody’s by 269.5% during the 3rd quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 2,158 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $980,000 after buying an additional 1,574 shares during the period. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 34.6% during the 3rd quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 810 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 53.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc now owns 902 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $419,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. Sacks & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,252,000. Finally, Riversedge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1.6% in the third quarter. Riversedge Advisors LLC now owns 2,804 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,273,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data, and analytical tools. Through Moody’s Ratings, the company evaluates the creditworthiness of companies, governments, financial institutions, and structured finance securities, offering opinions and research used by investors, issuers, and other market participants.

Through Moody’s Analytics, the company provides financial intelligence, economic research, risk assessment tools, data, and software. Its products support credit and market risk management, compliance, portfolio analysis, lending, insurance, and corporate planning.

Moody’s traces its origins to 1909, when John Moody published an analysis of railroad securities.