Quantitative Investment Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Quantitative Investment Management LLC cut its holdings in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 36.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,589 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 1,474 shares during the quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $1,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter valued at $267,000. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its position in Moody’s by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 10,916 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,475,000 after buying an additional 1,461 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Moody’s by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $736,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Moody’s by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 25,303 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $12,692,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 72,615 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $36,423,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $484.30, for a total transaction of $710,468.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,964 shares in the company, valued at $25,166,165.20. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MCO shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Friday, July 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $610.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Moody’s from $521.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $530.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Moody’s from $590.00 to $597.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $553.61.

Moody’s Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of MCO stock opened at $504.64 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $87.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.00, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.33. Moody’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $402.28 and a 52 week high of $546.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $486.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $460.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.56 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.13%.

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.