Bellwether Advisors LLC Acquires 3,848 Shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Bellwether Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 60.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,222 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,848 shares during the quarter. Moody's accounts for approximately 0.9% of Bellwether Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest holding. Bellwether Advisors LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $4,839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Moody's in the fourth quarter valued at $988,750,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Moody's by 92,060.2% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 612,865 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $290,112,000 after purchasing an additional 612,200 shares during the period. Amundi increased its position in Moody's by 73.6% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,131,656 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $534,255,000 after buying an additional 479,599 shares during the last quarter. Canoe Financial LP raised its stake in Moody's by 510.8% in the fourth quarter. Canoe Financial LP now owns 422,624 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $200,058,000 after buying an additional 353,431 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $150,376,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $463.08, for a total value of $192,178.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 62,824 shares in the company, valued at $29,092,537.92. The trade was a 0.66 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 1,392 shares of company stock valued at $659,535. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Moody's Stock Performance

Shares of MCO stock opened at $438.86 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $454.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $473.03. Moody's Co. has a 12 month low of $360.05 and a 12 month high of $531.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.94, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.38.

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

Moody's Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on MCO shares. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Moody's from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 target price for the company. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Moody's in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays reduced 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Moody's from $575.00 to $525.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody's 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.

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