Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO) Shares Acquired by Toronto Dominion Bank

Toronto Dominion Bank raised its stake in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 27.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 175,728 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 38,014 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank owned about 0.10% of Moody's worth $83,183,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MCO. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Moody's during the fourth quarter worth about $42,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Moody's in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new position in shares of Moody's in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Moody's during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Moody's by 80.6% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Performance

NYSE:MCO traded down $14.29 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $472.70. 624,036 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 771,438. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Moody's Co. has a 1 year low of $378.71 and a 1 year high of $531.93. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $451.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $472.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $85.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.40.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.25. Moody's had a net margin of 29.03% and a return on equity of 58.94%. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Analysts anticipate that Moody's Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Moody's from $570.00 to $520.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Moody's in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Moody's from $610.00 to $572.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Moody's in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Moody's from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. One equities research 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 data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $515.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total value of $181,687.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 62,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,445,682. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Moody's

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.