Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO) Stake Boosted by Valley Forge Capital Management LP

Valley Forge Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,314,144 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 25,700 shares during the period. Moody's comprises about 13.7% of Valley Forge Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. Valley Forge Capital Management LP owned about 0.73% of Moody's worth $622,076,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Moody's in the 4th quarter valued at about $41,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Moody's in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in Moody's in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Moody's during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $492.15 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $450.09 and its 200 day moving average is $472.80. Moody's Co. has a 52 week low of $378.71 and a 52 week high of $531.93. 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 company has a market cap of $88.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.67, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.40.

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

Moody's Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Moody's's payout ratio is 32.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MCO. Mizuho assumed coverage on Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Moody's from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Moody's from $585.00 to $495.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Moody's from $575.00 to $525.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Moody's from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $515.87.

Insider Activity at Moody's

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $463.08, for a total transaction of $192,178.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 62,824 shares in the company, valued at $29,092,537.92. The trade was a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Moody's Company 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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