Corient Private Wealth LP Sells 4,290 Shares of Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Corient Private Wealth LP reduced its Moody’s stake by 15.9% in the second quarter, selling 4,290 shares and retaining 22,625 shares valued at approximately $10.25 million. Institutional investors collectively own 92.11% of Moody’s stock.
• Moody’s reported quarterly EPS of $4.68, beating estimates by $0.42, while revenue rose 15.1% year over year to $2.19 billion. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $553.61.
• Shares opened at $465.34, below the consensus target, but valuation remains elevated at about 29.5 times earnings. Moody’s also pays a quarterly dividend of $1.03, equivalent to a 0.9% annual yield.

Corient Private Wealth LP cut its holdings in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 15.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,625 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 4,290 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP's holdings in Moody's were worth $10,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lifted its stake in Moody's by 0.3% in the first quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,440 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $2,810,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Moody's by 3.8% during the first quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 623 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Moody's by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 429 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Allen Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Moody's by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 497 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moody's by 87.1% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 58 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on MCO shares. Barclays raised their target price on Moody's from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $505.00 price target on shares of Moody's in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Moody's from $557.00 to $572.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Moody's from $530.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 target price on Moody's in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moody's has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $553.61.

Moody's Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $465.34 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $489.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $464.29. Moody's Corporation has a 1-year low of $402.28 and a 1-year high of $546.88. The firm has a market cap of $80.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody's had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%.The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.56 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Moody's Corporation will post 16.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Moody's's payout ratio is currently 26.13%.

Key Moody's News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody's this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s agreed to acquire a minority stake in PhilRatings, expanding its local debt-market capabilities and strengthening its affiliate network in the Asia-Pacific region. The investment could support long-term growth in credit ratings, research and data services as Philippine capital markets develop. Can MCO's PhilRatings Investment Bolster Its Asia-Pacific Presence?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Moody’s among the stronger financial-exchange and data businesses in the second quarter, reinforcing the company’s favorable operating momentum. Recent results showed revenue growth and earnings above consensus, supporting the broader investment case. Spotting Winners: Moody's and Financial Exchanges & Data Stocks in Q2
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity, with 4,144 calls purchased versus an average of 643, signals increased speculative interest in MCO. However, options activity does not necessarily indicate sustained institutional buying or a change in fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s London head-office building was reportedly put up for sale for approximately $444.6 million. A sale could unlock cash or improve capital efficiency, but the effect on earnings and valuation is unclear. Moody's London Head Office Building Up for Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary questioning whether Moody’s is fully valued suggests investors may see limited upside after the stock’s strong performance. With shares trading above their 200-day average and at a forward earnings multiple near 29.5 times based on the provided metrics, the PhilRatings deal may be viewed as strategically positive but too small to materially change near-term earnings expectations. Moody's Expands in the Philippines: Is the Stock Fully Valued?

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In other Moody's news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $484.30, for a total transaction of $710,468.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,964 shares of the company's stock, valued at $25,166,165.20. This represents a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

About Moody's

Moody's Corporation NYSE: MCO is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytical tools. Through Moody's Ratings, the company evaluates the creditworthiness of governments, companies, financial institutions and debt securities, helping investors and other market participants assess credit risk. Its ratings and related research cover a broad range of fixed-income markets and structured finance products.

Through Moody's Analytics, the company provides economic and financial intelligence, risk-management software, data, quantitative models and advisory services.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.