Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO) Shares Sold by Alapocas Investment Partners Inc.

Key Points

• Alapocas Investment Partners Inc. has reduced its stake in Moody's Corporation by 2.5%, now owning approximately $10.07 million worth of shares, accounting for about 6.2% of its investment portfolio.
• Insider transactions included CFO Noemie Clemence Heuland selling 897 shares for over $455,000, and another insider, Michael L. West, selling 3,704 shares valued at approximately $1.89 million.
• Analysts have raised their target prices for Moody's, with JPMorgan increasing it from $495 to $565, while average analysts' rating is a "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $538.80.

Alapocas Investment Partners Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 2.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,619 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 547 shares during the quarter. Moody's comprises about 6.2% of Alapocas Investment Partners Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Alapocas Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in Moody's were worth $10,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCO. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC lifted its position in Moody's by 1,000.0% in the first quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 55 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Moody's by 5,050.0% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Moody's in the first quarter valued at $49,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Moody's by 132.6% during the first quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 107 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Motco grew its holdings in Moody's by 581.3% during the first quarter. Motco now owns 109 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Moody's

In other news, CFO Noemie Clemence Heuland sold 897 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.24, for a total value of $455,891.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 2,148 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,091,699.52. This trade represents a 29.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Michael L. West sold 3,704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.10, for a total transaction of $1,893,114.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,209 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,195,619.90. The trade was a 31.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,593 shares of company stock valued at $4,382,984. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Moody's from $495.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Bank of America initiated coverage on Moody's in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $530.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Moody's from $573.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Moody's from $525.00 to $552.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Mizuho upped their target price on Moody's from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $538.80.

Moody's Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Moody's stock opened at $517.79 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $494.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $478.13. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. Moody's Corporation has a 12-month low of $378.71 and a 12-month high of $531.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.99, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.40.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.17. Moody's had a return on equity of 60.73% and a net margin of 29.18%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.28 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Moody's Corporation will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Moody's's payout ratio is 31.95%.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.