Impax Asset Management Group plc Makes New $641,000 Investment in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Impax Asset Management Group plc bought a new position in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 1,377 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $641,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its stake in shares of Moody's by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 73,335 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $34,715,000 after purchasing an additional 10,350 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Moody's during the fourth quarter valued at about $223,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Moody's by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,960 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,401,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moody's by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,487 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,177,000 after buying an additional 415 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Moody's by 94.7% during the 4th quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,295 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $613,000 after buying an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Price Performance

Shares of MCO traded down $2.55 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $502.51. 630,296 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 766,312. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $478.63 and a 200-day moving average of $472.69. 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 stock has a market cap of $90.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.39, a PEG ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 1.38. Moody's Corporation has a 52 week low of $378.71 and a 52 week high of $531.93.

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

Moody's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th were given 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 is 32.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Moody's from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Moody's in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Moody's from $523.00 to $552.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $550.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Moody's from $572.00 to $573.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Moody's currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $520.73.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moody's news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total value of $181,687.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 62,690 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,445,682. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by company 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.