Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Lowers Stake in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 3.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,003 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 665 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $8,384,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in Moody's by 1,000.0% during the first quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 55 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Moody's in the 1st quarter worth $49,000. LGT Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Moody's during the fourth quarter worth about $83,000. Finally, Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in Moody's during the fourth quarter worth about $122,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MCO traded up $1.57 during trading on Friday, reaching $515.63. 375,081 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 802,905. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $495.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $478.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.30 billion, a PE ratio of 43.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.40. Moody's Corporation has a 52-week low of $378.71 and a 52-week high of $531.93.

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

Moody's Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In other news, insider Michael L. West sold 3,704 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $511.10, for a total value of $1,893,114.40. Following the transaction, the insider owned 8,209 shares in the company, valued at $4,195,619.90. This represents a 31.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,457 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $508.83, for a total transaction of $741,365.31. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,386 shares in the company, valued at $705,238.38. This represents a 51.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,593 shares of company stock worth $4,382,984. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on MCO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Moody's from $495.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Moody's from $493.00 to $498.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $550.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a research report on Wednesday, June 4th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Moody's from $552.00 to $563.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Moody's from $573.00 to $595.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $538.80.

About Moody's

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.