PineStone Asset Management Inc. Has $1.16 Billion Stake in Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• PineStone Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Moody's Corporation by 10.3%, now holding approximately $1.16 billion worth of shares, making Moody's its 4th largest investment.
• Moody's reported earnings of $3.56 per share, exceeding estimates and demonstrating a 29.18% net margin with a revenue increase of 4.5% compared to the previous year.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.94, reflecting an annualized yield of 0.8% and a dividend payout ratio of approximately 31.95%.

PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 10.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,311,020 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 215,551 shares during the quarter. Moody's makes up approximately 7.5% of PineStone Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. PineStone Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 1.28% of Moody's worth $1,159,185,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCO. Integrated Advisors Network LLC increased its holdings in shares of Moody's by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 745 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Moody's by 50.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,040 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $7,119,000 after purchasing an additional 5,041 shares during the period. 111 Capital acquired a new position in shares of Moody's in the fourth quarter valued at $352,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Moody's by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 136,873 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $64,792,000 after purchasing an additional 26,702 shares during the period. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of Moody's by 26.5% during the 1st quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 592 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $276,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody's Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $472.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.75 and a current ratio of 1.75. Moody's Corporation has a 52 week low of $378.71 and a 52 week high of $531.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.17, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 1.42. The stock's fifty day moving average is $506.56 and its 200 day moving average is $480.29.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last posted 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 business had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.28 earnings per share. Moody's's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody's has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.500-14.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Moody's Corporation will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on MCO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Moody's from $595.00 to $597.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Moody's from $525.00 to $552.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Mizuho increased their target price on Moody's from $496.00 to $532.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Moody's from $445.00 to $515.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Moody's from $520.00 to $580.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $540.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody's

In other news, CFO Noemie Clemence Heuland sold 897 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.24, for a total transaction of $455,891.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,148 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,091,699.52. The trade was a 29.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $512.65, for a total value of $212,749.75. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 61,350 shares in the company, valued at $31,451,077.50. This trade represents a 0.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,423 shares of company stock valued at $4,812,135. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report).

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.