Qtron Investments LLC Acquires 618 Shares of Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Qtron Investments LLC increased its stake in Moody's Corporation by 22.4%, acquiring an additional 618 shares, bringing their total to 3,375 shares valued at $1,572,000.
• Analysts have adjusted their price targets for Moody's, with Barclays setting a new target at $580.00 and multiple firms giving the stock an "overweight" or "outperform" rating.
• Moody's announced a quarterly dividend of $0.94 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.7% and a payout ratio of 31.95%.

Qtron Investments LLC raised its holdings in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 22.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,375 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the period. Qtron Investments LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $1,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Moody's by 47.6% in the first quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,988 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $926,000 after acquiring an additional 641 shares during the last quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Moody's by 4.5% during the first quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 1,449 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $675,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of Moody's by 41.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,537 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Blue Edge Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody's by 3.1% during the first quarter. Blue Edge Capital LLC now owns 4,461 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,077,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Makena Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody's by 83.7% during the first quarter. Makena Capital Management LLC now owns 47,665 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $22,197,000 after purchasing an additional 21,711 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCO. Barclays boosted their price target on Moody's from $520.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Moody's from $525.00 to $552.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Moody's from $573.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Moody's from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $550.00 price target on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $538.80.

Insider Activity at Moody's

In related news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 2,120 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.18, for a total value of $1,083,701.60. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,558 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,841,138.44. This represents a 27.61% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $503.40, for a total value of $208,911.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 61,886 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,153,412.40. The trade was a 0.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,593 shares of company stock valued at $4,382,984 over the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Moody's Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $516.57 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.75, a current ratio of 1.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. Moody's Corporation has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $531.93. The stock's 50 day moving average is $499.24 and its 200-day moving average is $479.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.89, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.40.

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

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.95%.

Moody's Company 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.

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