Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Acquires 5,095 Shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,849 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,095 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Moody's were worth $32,528,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Moody's by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,696,081 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,956,684,000 after acquiring an additional 63,820 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Moody's by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,680,799 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,738,645,000 after acquiring an additional 68,627 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Moody's during the 4th quarter worth about $988,750,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Moody's by 20.5% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,776,729 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $841,050,000 after acquiring an additional 302,453 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings 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 period. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moody's Stock Up 1.4%

MCO stock traded up $6.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $488.46. 866,346 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 761,580. The stock has a market cap of $87.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.18, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. Moody's Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $378.71 and a fifty-two week high of $531.93. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $471.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $472.05.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 60.37% and a net margin of 29.15%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Moody's Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.77%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moody's news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total transaction of $181,687.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 62,690 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,445,682. The trade was a 0.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on MCO shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Moody's from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Moody's from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Moody's from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America began coverage on Moody's in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $530.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $519.40.

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.