MUFG Securities EMEA plc Buys 3,337 Shares of Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc more than doubled its stake in Moody’s during the fourth quarter, buying 3,337 additional shares to bring its total to 6,290 shares valued at about $3.21 million.
• Moody’s reported better-than-expected earnings of $4.33 per share for the latest quarter, though revenue of $2.08 billion came in slightly below forecasts. The company also raised/affirmed FY 2026 guidance at 16.4–17.0 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, payable June 5, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $544.29.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its stake in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 113.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,290 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,337 shares during the quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in Moody's were worth $3,213,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Moody's by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 298,104 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $142,041,000 after buying an additional 10,434 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Moody's by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 647,711 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $308,649,000 after buying an additional 1,942 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Moody's by 135.7% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 45,829 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $21,837,000 after buying an additional 26,388 shares during the period. Katamaran Capital LLP bought a new stake in Moody's in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,275,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Moody's by 39.0% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 15,130 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $7,209,000 after buying an additional 4,247 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on MCO. Wolfe Research reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $535.00 price target on shares of Moody's in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Moody's from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of 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 reduced their price target on shares of Moody's from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $531.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $544.29.

Moody's Price Performance

NYSE MCO opened at $464.84 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $445.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $471.14. Moody's Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market cap of $81.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.32, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.35.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. Moody's had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The business had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.11 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.83 EPS. Moody's's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Moody's Corporation will post 16.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moody's news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total transaction of $684,194.13. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,189 shares of the company's stock, valued at $35,067,397.71. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total value of $73,689.62. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $999,473.77. The trade was a 6.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,092 shares of company stock valued at $1,400,092. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

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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