Lazard Asset Management LLC Acquires 280,712 Shares of Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Lazard Asset Management increased its Moody’s stake by 5,102.9% in the first quarter, acquiring 280,712 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 286,213 shares valued at approximately $124.9 million.
• Moody’s exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $4.68 in EPS and $2.19 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 15.1% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $553.11.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, equivalent to an annualized $4.12 dividend and a 0.9% yield. Despite strong earnings momentum, commentary cautioned that Moody’s valuation may limit further upside.

Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 5,102.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 286,213 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 280,712 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned 0.16% of Moody's worth $124,860,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Moody's by 87.1% during the 1st 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. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Moody's by 1,866.7% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 59 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moody's during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in Moody's in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MCO shares. Weiss Ratings raised Moody's from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Moody's from $524.00 to $521.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 price target on Moody's in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays boosted their target price on Moody's from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Moody's from $557.00 to $572.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $553.11.

Moody's Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $471.30 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Moody's Corporation has a 1 year low of $402.28 and a 1 year high of $546.88. The company has a market cap of $81.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.89, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $465.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $464.36.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.56 EPS. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Moody's Corporation will post 16.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

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

Trending Headlines about Moody's

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

Insider Activity at Moody's

In other Moody's news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $71,679.86. Following the completion of 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 hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $665,533.89. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 52,564 shares in the company, valued at $23,846,709.88. The trade was a 2.72% 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 sold 3,250 shares of company stock worth $1,495,098 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Moody's

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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