ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Takes $6.37 Million Position in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. has acquired a new stake in Moody's Corporation, purchasing 13,671 shares valued at approximately $6.37 million in the first quarter.
• Moody's has reported a quarterly earnings per share of $3.56, exceeding analysts' estimates, with a net margin of 29.18% and revenue growth of 4.5% year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share, representing a 0.7% yield and a payout ratio of 31.95%.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. acquired a new position in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 13,671 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,367,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Moody's by 55,808.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 802,850 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $373,879,000 after purchasing an additional 801,414 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of Moody's by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,776,729 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $841,050,000 after buying an additional 302,453 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Moody's by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,530,582 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $712,777,000 after acquiring an additional 265,389 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Moody's by 142.4% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 71,040 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $33,083,000 after acquiring an additional 238,569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Moody's by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,590,679 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $752,980,000 after acquiring an additional 220,681 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on MCO shares. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Moody's from $552.00 to $563.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Moody's from $573.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Moody's from $509.00 to $534.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Moody's in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $530.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, June 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $538.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moody's news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,457 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.83, for a total transaction of $741,365.31. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 1,386 shares in the company, valued at approximately $705,238.38. This represents a 51.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 2,120 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.18, for a total transaction of $1,083,701.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,558 shares in the company, valued at $2,841,138.44. This trade represents a 27.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,593 shares of company stock worth $4,382,984 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:MCO traded up $1.57 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $515.63. The company had a trading volume of 375,081 shares, compared to its average volume of 867,140. Moody's Corporation has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $531.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The firm has a market cap of $92.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.40. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $495.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $478.61.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.56 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.17. Moody's had a return on equity of 60.73% and a net margin of 29.18%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.28 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Moody's Corporation will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.95%.

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.