Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Decreases Stake in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio trimmed its stake in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 75,383 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 4,749 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Moody's were worth $35,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Carson Advisory Inc. raised its position in Moody's by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Carson Advisory Inc. now owns 741 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares in the last quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Moody's by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,803 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,327,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in Moody's by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 451 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $213,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC grew its holdings in Moody's by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 1,641 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $777,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Moody's by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. now owns 746 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody's Stock Up 2.5%

NYSE:MCO traded up $11.79 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $481.44. 609,351 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 769,204. Moody's Co. has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $531.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $452.54 and a 200 day moving average of $473.13. The stock has a market cap of $86.61 billion, a PE ratio of 42.72, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.40.

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

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.47%.

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total transaction of $181,687.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 62,690 shares of the company's stock, valued at $27,445,682. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Moody's from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Moody's from $575.00 to $525.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Moody's in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Moody's from $585.00 to $495.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Moody's from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody's presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $520.87.

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.