Moody's Corporation $MCO Shares Purchased by Gabelli Funds LLC

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds LLC increased its Moody’s stake by 5.8% in the first quarter, ending with 54,638 shares valued at about $23.8 million. Several other institutional investors also added to or adjusted positions, and institutions now own 92.11% of Moody’s stock.
• Moody’s reported a strong quarter, beating earnings and revenue expectations with EPS of $4.68 versus $4.26 expected and revenue of $2.19 billion versus $2.09 billion. The company also raised FY2026 guidance to $16.50–$17.00 EPS.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, but valuation is a concern. Multiple firms lifted price targets, and the consensus rating is “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $553.11, though some coverage noted the stock may look expensive after the earnings beat.

Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its stake in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 5.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 54,638 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 2,990 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $23,836,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's in the second quarter worth approximately $267,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in shares of Moody's by 15.5% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 10,916 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $5,475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Moody's by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $736,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in Moody's by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 25,303 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $12,692,000 after purchasing an additional 929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in Moody's by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 72,615 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $36,423,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Moody's

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $71,679.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,985 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $900,534.95. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $665,533.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 52,564 shares in the company, valued at $23,846,709.88. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 3,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,495,098. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Moody's

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody's this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s latest quarterly report topped expectations, with strong revenue growth and raised guidance helping reinforce the company’s earnings momentum. Moodys Corp (MCO) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth and Raised Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Clear Street reiterated its Buy rating on Moody’s, adding to the view that the company’s business remains fundamentally sound after earnings. Clear Street Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Moody’s (MCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Moody’s strong Q2 performance and reaffirmed bullish views, citing solid fundamentals and continued earnings strength. Moody's Corporation: Strong Q2, I Reiterate My Buy Rating As Fundamentals Are Still Sound
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s also released its quarterly dividend announcement, which is supportive for income investors but not likely a major near-term stock catalyst. Moody's Corporation dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on valuation, noting that Moody’s may look expensive relative to fair value despite the earnings beat, which could temper upside. Moody's (MCO) Stock Looks Expensive Relative To Fair Value
• Negative Sentiment: Investor attention is also on broader concerns about valuation after the earnings beat, with some coverage suggesting the stock’s premium pricing may limit further gains. Moody's (MCO) Earnings Beat Puts Valuation Back In Focus

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MCO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Moody's from $590.00 to $597.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Moody's from $489.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Moody's from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Moody's from $557.00 to $572.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $535.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $553.11.

Moody's Stock Down 0.2%

NYSE MCO opened at $471.30 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $465.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $464.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. The firm has a market cap of $82.34 billion, a PE ratio of 29.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.34. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody's had a net margin of 34.25% and a return on equity of 80.35%. The firm had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.56 earnings per share. Moody's's quarterly revenue was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Moody's Corporation will post 16.82 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Moody's's payout ratio is presently 26.13%.

Moody's Company 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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