Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Lowers Stake in Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management SPA SGR has decreased its stake in Moody's Corporation by 32.8%, now holding 12,960 shares valued at approximately $6.5 million.
• Moody's reported earnings of $3.56 per share for the last quarter, exceeding analyst predictions and showing a 4.5% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The stock has a current market price of around $478.32, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from analysts and a projected price target of approximately $543.27.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR reduced its holdings in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 32.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,960 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 6,327 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in Moody's were worth $6,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in Moody's by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 7,400 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,712,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Moody's by 50.0% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 66 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp grew its position in shares of Moody's by 3.1% in the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 762 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of Moody's by 42.9% in the second quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 80 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Moody's by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,205 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Price Performance

MCO opened at $478.32 on Thursday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $498.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $482.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75. Moody's Corporation has a 1 year low of $378.71 and a 1 year high of $531.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.62 billion, a PE ratio of 40.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.41.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. Moody's had a net margin of 29.18% and a return on equity of 60.73%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.28 earnings per share. Moody's has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.500-14.000 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Moody's Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MCO shares. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Moody's from $525.00 to $552.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $520.00 price objective on Moody's in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Moody's from $531.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Moody's in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Moody's from $520.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $543.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moody's news, insider Michael L. West sold 3,704 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.10, for a total transaction of $1,893,114.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,195,619.90. The trade was a 31.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $512.65, for a total transaction of $212,749.75. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 61,350 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,451,077.50. This trade represents a 0.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,008 shares of company stock worth $4,603,224. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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