Aquatic Capital Management LLC Has $7.44 Million Stock Holdings in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 65.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 15,710 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 29,530 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $7,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MCO. Carson Advisory Inc. increased its stake in Moody's by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 741 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the period. Avitas Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Moody's by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,803 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,327,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Moody's by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 451 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC lifted its position in Moody's by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $777,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the period. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Moody's by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 746 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $494.42, for a total transaction of $138,932.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 61,894 shares of the company's stock, valued at $30,601,631.48. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,392 shares of company stock worth $659,535. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCO traded up $13.25 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $465.11. The stock had a trading volume of 279,224 shares, compared to its average volume of 773,856. Moody's Co. has a twelve month low of $360.05 and a twelve month high of $531.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The business's fifty day moving average is $450.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $472.28. The company has a market cap of $83.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.27, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.38.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. Moody's had a net margin of 29.03% and a return on equity of 58.94%. As a group, research analysts expect that Moody's Co. will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.81%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MCO. Barclays cut their price objective on Moody's from $570.00 to $520.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 4th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Moody's from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Moody's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Moody's from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Moody's from $575.00 to $525.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $515.87.

Moody's 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.