Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Has $12.31 Million Stock Holdings in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 62.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,424 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,135 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Moody's were worth $12,305,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Moody's by 0.4% in 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 buying an additional 63,820 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Moody's by 1.9% in 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 buying an additional 68,627 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in Moody's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $988,750,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Moody's by 20.5% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in Moody's by 16.1% in 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 buying an additional 220,681 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody's Price Performance

Moody's stock traded down $5.17 on Friday, reaching $500.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 48,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 764,106. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.57. The company has a market cap of $90.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.21, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.38. The business's fifty day moving average price is $482.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $473.55. Moody's Corporation has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $531.93.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 60.37% and a net margin of 29.15%. Equities analysts expect that Moody's Corporation will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.47%.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Moody's from $572.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 3rd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Moody's from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Moody's from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America assumed coverage on Moody's in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $530.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $519.07.

Moody's Company 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.