Moody's Corporation $MCO Shares Bought by Forsta AP Fonden

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden increased its Moody’s stake by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, adding 4,960 shares to bring its total to 67,660 shares valued at about $34.6 million.
• Moody’s reported solid quarterly results, with EPS of $4.33 topping estimates, while revenue rose 8.1% year over year to $2.08 billion. The company also guided FY2026 EPS to $16.40-$17.00.
• Insider selling and cautious analyst moves were notable, as both the CEO and an SVP sold shares recently. Meanwhile, several brokerages trimmed price targets, though the stock still carries a consensus Moderate Buy rating.

Forsta AP Fonden raised its stake in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 7.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 67,660 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,960 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Moody's were worth $34,564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Moody's in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 2,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,049.89. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $2,380,829.23. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,789 shares in the company, valued at $34,613,594.19. This represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 8,680 shares of company stock worth $3,952,188 in the last 90 days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MCO. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Moody's from $526.00 to $489.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group cut their target price on Moody's from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings lowered Moody's from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $610.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Moody's from $524.00 to $521.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $544.29.

Moody's Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:MCO opened at $452.46 on Friday. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $445.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $471.43. The company has a market capitalization of $79.05 billion, a PE ratio of 32.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Moody's Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.22 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.83 EPS. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Moody's Corporation will post 16.69 EPS for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.53%.

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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