Americana Partners LLC Acquires 2,998 Shares of Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Americana Partners LLC increased its stake in Moody’s by 22.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 2,998 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 16,443 shares worth about $8.4 million.
• Moody’s reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $4.33 per share, though revenue of $2.08 billion fell slightly short of estimates; sales still rose 8.1% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $544.29.

Americana Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 22.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,443 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,998 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $8,400,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moody's in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Up 0.9%

Moody's stock opened at $449.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm's fifty day moving average is $443.54 and its 200 day moving average is $472.64. Moody's Corporation has a 12-month low of $402.28 and a 12-month high of $546.88. The company has a market capitalization of $78.49 billion, a PE ratio of 32.21, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.37.

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

Moody's Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $489.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $610.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $531.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $565.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Moody's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $544.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody's

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total value of $73,689.62. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,143 shares in the company, valued at $999,473.77. This represents a 6.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total transaction of $684,194.13. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $35,067,397.71. The trade was a 1.91% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,680 shares of company stock valued at $3,952,188. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

About Moody's

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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