NBC Securities Inc. Buys Shares of 1,007 Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,007 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $469,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCO. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Moody's by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 3,571 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,690,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Carson Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Moody's by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 741 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Moody's by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 451 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the period. Summit Financial LLC raised its holdings in Moody's by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $777,000 after buying an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its position in Moody's by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 1,471 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $696,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody's Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of MCO traded up $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $489.00. The company had a trading volume of 372,445 shares, compared to its average volume of 763,659. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $455.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $473.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.47. Moody's Co. has a 52-week low of $378.71 and a 52-week high of $531.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.39.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 58.94% and a net margin of 29.03%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Moody's Co. will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on MCO shares. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Moody's from $489.00 to $523.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group upped their price target on Moody's from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Moody's in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Bank of America began coverage on Moody's in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $530.00 price target for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Moody's from $585.00 to $495.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $519.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody's

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total value of $181,687.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 62,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,445,682. The trade was a 0.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Moody's 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.