Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Purchases 2,043 Shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Key Points

• Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its stake in Moody's Corporation by 6.2%, acquiring an additional 2,043 shares, bringing its total holdings to 34,947 shares valued at $16.12 million.
• Moody's reported earnings of $3.56 per share for the latest quarter, exceeding estimates, alongside a quarterly revenue of $1.90 billion, a 4.5% year-over-year increase.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share, which translates to an annualized dividend of $3.76 and a yield of 0.73%.

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 6.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 34,947 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 2,043 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd's holdings in Moody's were worth $16,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in Moody's by 1,000.0% during the 1st quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 55 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Moody's by 5,050.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Moody's in the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Moody's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Finally, LGT Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 4th quarter worth approximately $83,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody's Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of MCO opened at $512.62 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. Moody's Corporation has a 12 month low of $378.71 and a 12 month high of $531.93. The firm's 50 day moving average is $489.03 and its 200-day moving average is $475.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.22 billion, a PE ratio of 43.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.17 and a beta of 1.38.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.39 by $0.17. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 60.73% and a net margin of 29.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.28 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Moody's Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Moody's from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Moody's from $445.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Moody's from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Moody's from $552.00 to $563.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Moody's from $520.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $538.80.

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, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $503.40, for a total value of $208,911.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 61,886 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,153,412.40. This trade represents a 0.67% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate 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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