PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab Reduces Stock Holdings in Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• PensionDanmark cut its Moody’s stake by 36.1% in the second quarter, selling 15,322 shares and retaining 27,068 shares valued at approximately $12.26 million. Institutional investors collectively own 92.11% of Moody’s stock.
• Moody’s reported quarterly EPS of $4.68, beating estimates of $4.26, while revenue rose 15.1% year over year to $2.19 billion. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $16.50–$17.00.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $553.61 versus the reported share price of $477.26. Moody’s also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share.

PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab lowered its stake in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 36.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,068 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 15,322 shares during the period. PensionDanmark Pensionsforsikringsaktieselskab's holdings in Moody's were worth $12,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. DeDora Capital Inc. increased its position in Moody's by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 1,315 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its position in shares of Moody's by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 1,081 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $552,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Moody's by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 753 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Moody's by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,895 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $968,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the period. Finally, Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Moody's by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Reynders McVeigh Capital Management LLC now owns 1,865 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $889,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody's Trading Up 0.9%

MCO stock opened at $477.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. Moody's Corporation has a 1-year low of $402.28 and a 1-year high of $546.88. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $471.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $461.15. The company has a market capitalization of $82.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.26, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.33.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.56 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Moody's Corporation will post 16.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Moody's's payout ratio is currently 26.13%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody's

In other Moody's news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $484.30, for a total value of $710,468.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 51,964 shares in the company, valued at $25,166,165.20. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $71,679.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares of the company's stock, valued at $900,534.95. This trade represents a 7.37% decrease in their position. 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 quarter, insiders sold 3,092 shares of company stock worth $1,447,682. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Moody's from $557.00 to $572.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Moody's from $530.00 to $600.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Moody's from $521.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Moody's from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 price target on Moody's in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $553.61.

Moody's 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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