Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Purchases 11,925 Shares of Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its Moody’s stake by 7.7% in Q1, buying 11,925 additional shares and bringing its holding to 167,790 shares worth about $73.2 million.
• Moody’s reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $4.68 topping estimates and revenue of $2.19 billion beating expectations; revenue rose 15.1% year over year and the company raised its FY2026 EPS guidance to 16.50–17.00.
• Wall Street remains broadly constructive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target price of $553.11, though some analysts have trimmed price targets and valuation concerns continue to be a focus.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 7.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 167,790 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 11,925 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned 0.10% of Moody's worth $73,198,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Moody's in the 4th quarter valued at $1,097,101,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new stake in Moody's during the 4th quarter worth $395,096,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Moody's by 73.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,716,304 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $876,775,000 after buying an additional 726,971 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Moody's by 72.5% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,081,807 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $471,963,000 after acquiring an additional 454,684 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Auto Owners Insurance Co grew its stake in Moody's by 50,985.1% in the fourth quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 420,430 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $214,777,000 after acquiring an additional 419,607 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MCO shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Moody's from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Moody's from $524.00 to $521.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $565.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $505.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a report on Thursday. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 price target on shares of Moody's in a report on Thursday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moody's currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $553.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody's

In other Moody's news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $900,534.95. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total transaction of $684,194.13. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,189 shares in the company, valued at $35,067,397.71. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 3,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,495,098 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Moody's News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s latest quarterly report topped expectations, with strong revenue growth and raised guidance helping reinforce the company’s earnings momentum. Moodys Corp (MCO) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth and Raised Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Clear Street reiterated its Buy rating on Moody’s, adding to the view that the company’s business remains fundamentally sound after earnings. Clear Street Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Moody’s (MCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Moody’s strong Q2 performance and reaffirmed bullish views, citing solid fundamentals and continued earnings strength. Moody's Corporation: Strong Q2, I Reiterate My Buy Rating As Fundamentals Are Still Sound
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s also released its quarterly dividend announcement, which is supportive for income investors but not likely a major near-term stock catalyst. Moody's Corporation dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on valuation, noting that Moody’s may look expensive relative to fair value despite the earnings beat, which could temper upside. Moody's (MCO) Stock Looks Expensive Relative To Fair Value
• Negative Sentiment: Investor attention is also on broader concerns about valuation after the earnings beat, with some coverage suggesting the stock’s premium pricing may limit further gains. Moody's (MCO) Earnings Beat Puts Valuation Back In Focus

Moody's Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE:MCO opened at $471.30 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $82.34 billion, a PE ratio of 29.89, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.34. Moody's Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $465.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $464.80.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.42. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%.Moody's's revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.56 EPS. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Moody's Corporation will post 16.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

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

Moody's Company Profile

Moody's Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moody's is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators.

Moody's operates primarily through two complementary businesses.

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