Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $164.67 Million Holdings in Moody's Corporation $MCO

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 330,018 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 13,049 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.18% of Moody's worth $164,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MCO. BAM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 3rd quarter valued at about $871,000. California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in Moody's by 3.6% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 298,104 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $142,041,000 after purchasing an additional 10,434 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Moody's by 0.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 647,711 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $308,649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,942 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Moody's by 135.7% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 45,829 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $21,837,000 after purchasing an additional 26,388 shares during the period. Finally, Katamaran Capital LLP acquired a new stake in Moody's during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,275,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody's Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of MCO opened at $448.60 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $448.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $475.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.37. Moody's Corporation has a 52 week low of $402.28 and a 52 week high of $546.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.22 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.83 earnings per share. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Moody's Corporation will post 16.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group dropped their target price on Moody's from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Moody's in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Weiss Ratings cut Moody's from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America reissued a "buy" rating and set a $565.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group upgraded shares of Moody's from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $500.00 to $590.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $544.29.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $2,380,829.23. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,789 shares in the company, valued at $34,613,594.19. This represents a 6.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 2,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,049.89. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 8,680 shares of company stock worth $3,952,188 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Moody's 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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