48,209 Shares in Moody's Corporation $MCO Bought by Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. initiated a new position in Moody’s during the fourth quarter, buying 48,209 shares valued at about $24.7 million.
• Moody’s reported quarterly EPS of $4.33, topping analyst expectations, while revenue came in at $2.08 billion, slightly below estimates but still up 8.1% year over year.
• The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share and continues to draw mostly positive analyst coverage, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $544.29.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 48,209 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $24,665,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCO. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Moody's during the 2nd quarter worth $267,000. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Moody's by 15.5% during 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 period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $736,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the period. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings 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 worth $12,692,000 after buying an additional 929 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in 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 worth $36,423,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,459 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,123,049.89. This represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $2,380,829.23. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,789 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,613,594.19. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,680 shares of company stock worth $3,952,188. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Moody's Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $452.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $79.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The business's 50-day moving average is $445.30 and its 200-day moving average is $471.43. Moody's Corporation has a 1 year low of $402.28 and a 1 year high of $546.88.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.22 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The firm's revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.83 EPS. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Moody's Corporation will post 16.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is 29.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Moody's in a report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Moody's from $574.00 to $540.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Bank of America reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $565.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays cut their target price on Moody's from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Moody's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Moody's has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $544.29.

Moody's Company 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.

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