Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Purchases 3,947 Shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its stake in Moody's Corporation by 1.9%, owning 211,551 shares valued at approximately $98.5 million.
• Over the first quarter, several large investors made significant increases to their positions in Moody's, contributing to institutional ownership reaching 92.11%.
• Moody's Corporation recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 0.8% and a payout ratio of 31.95%.

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp grew its holdings in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 1.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 211,551 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 3,947 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.12% of Moody's worth $98,517,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Moody's by 20.5% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,776,729 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $841,050,000 after purchasing an additional 302,453 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of Moody's by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,590,679 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $752,980,000 after buying an additional 220,681 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Moody's by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,586,672 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $738,897,000 after acquiring an additional 140,128 shares during the period. Valley Forge Capital Management LP raised its stake in Moody's by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Valley Forge Capital Management LP now owns 1,314,144 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $622,076,000 after acquiring an additional 25,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd grew its stake in shares of Moody's by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 1,086,565 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $506,002,000 after purchasing an additional 3,475 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody's Stock Up 3.8%

Shares of NYSE MCO traded up $19.19 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $520.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 886,300 shares, compared to its average volume of 830,507. Moody's Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $378.71 and a fifty-two week high of $531.93. The company has a current ratio of 1.75, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $492.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $477.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.22, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.40.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Moody's had a net margin of 29.18% and a return on equity of 60.73%. The business's 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 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Moody's Corporation will post 13.95 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 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Moody's from $573.00 to $595.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Moody's from $445.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $550.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Moody's from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Moody's from $493.00 to $498.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $538.80.

Insider Activity at Moody's

In related news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 2,120 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.18, for a total transaction of $1,083,701.60. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,558 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,841,138.44. This trade represents a 27.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Michael L. West sold 3,704 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.10, for a total value of $1,893,114.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 8,209 shares in the company, valued at $4,195,619.90. The trade was a 31.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,593 shares of company stock worth $4,382,984. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

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.