Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA Buys Shares of 5,234 Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland acquired 5,234 Moody’s shares worth approximately $2.28 million, while institutional investors collectively own 92.11% of the company.
• Moody’s exceeded quarterly expectations with earnings of $4.68 per share and revenue of $2.19 billion, up 15.1% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $553.11.
• Despite strong earnings momentum and a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, coverage cautions that Moody’s valuation may be expensive and could limit further upside.

Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA purchased a new position in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 5,234 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,283,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Lombard Odier Asset Management USA Corp purchased a new position in Moody's in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $218,000. Unio Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Moody's by 4.0% in the first quarter. Unio Capital LLC now owns 51,008 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $22,252,000 after purchasing an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Moody's by 25.9% in the first quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC now owns 3,191 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,392,000 after purchasing an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in shares of Moody's by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 167,790 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $73,198,000 after purchasing an additional 11,925 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in Moody's during the 1st quarter worth about $48,895,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 52,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,846,709.88. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 7.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 3,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,495,098 over the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Moody's from $489.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $565.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Moody's from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Moody's from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $553.11.

Moody's News Summary

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 Price Performance

Shares of Moody's stock opened at $471.30 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.19. Moody's Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The company has a fifty day moving average of $465.04 and a 200-day moving average of $464.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.34.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody's had a net margin of 34.25% and a return on equity of 80.35%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.56 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Moody's Corporation will post 16.82 EPS for the current year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid 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 26.13%.

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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