Sterling Investment Management LLC Has $3.35 Million Stock Position in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Sterling Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 34.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,197 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,860 shares during the quarter. Moody's comprises 2.4% of Sterling Investment Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Sterling Investment Management LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $3,352,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Moody's by 21.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 34,845 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $16,227,000 after buying an additional 6,202 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC grew its position in Moody's by 51.0% during the first quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 921 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC grew its position in Moody's by 5.6% during the first quarter. Donaldson Capital Management LLC now owns 24,323 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $11,327,000 after buying an additional 1,291 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Moody's by 74.8% during the first quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 138,472 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $64,485,000 after buying an additional 59,238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Moody's by 142.4% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 71,040 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $33,083,000 after buying an additional 238,569 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody's Trading Down 0.5%

MCO stock traded down $2.23 during trading on Thursday, hitting $481.31. The company had a trading volume of 490,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 762,322. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $458.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $473.76. Moody's Co. has a 12 month low of $378.71 and a 12 month high of $531.93. The stock has a market cap of $86.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.71, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.39.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 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 firm had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. As a group, analysts predict that Moody's Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $550.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Moody's from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Moody's from $585.00 to $495.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Moody's from $610.00 to $572.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Mizuho started coverage on shares of Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $519.40.

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.