Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd Sells 5,172 Shares of Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Rothschild & Co trimmed its stake in Moody's by 5,172 shares (0.5%) in Q4, leaving it with 1,117,251 shares — about 0.63% of Moody's and roughly 9.0% of Rothschild's holdings, making MCO its fifth-largest holding.
• Moody's Q1 results beat EPS estimates ($4.33 vs. $4.22), revenue rose ~8.1% year-over-year, management raised full-year EPS guidance (FY2026: 16.40–17.00) and increased the share buyback authorization to $2.5 billion.
• Analysts have trimmed some price targets but the consensus remains a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $542.63.

Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd reduced its position in shares of Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,117,251 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 5,172 shares during the period. Moody's accounts for about 9.0% of Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest holding. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd owned approximately 0.63% of Moody's worth $570,748,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Moody's by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 363 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $185,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Moody's by 2.7% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its position in Moody's by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 1,081 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $552,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, EWA LLC increased its stake in Moody's by 4.4% during the third quarter. EWA LLC now owns 501 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MCO shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Moody's from $660.00 to $560.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Barclays cut their price objective on Moody's from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $531.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Moody's from $550.00 to $524.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Moody's from $574.00 to $540.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $542.63.

Moody's Trading Up 1.8%

MCO opened at $467.80 on Thursday. Moody's Corporation has a 52 week low of $402.28 and a 52 week high of $546.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $444.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $477.17. The firm has a market cap of $83.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.45.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.22 by $0.11. Moody's had a return on equity of 66.01% and a net margin of 31.86%.The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.83 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Moody's Corporation will post 16.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is currently 30.12%.

Insider Activity at Moody's

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $2,380,829.23. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,789 shares of the company's stock, valued at $34,613,594.19. This represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,049.89. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,222 shares of company stock valued at $3,786,732. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Moody's

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody's this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS topped estimates ($4.33 vs. ~$4.22) and management said analytics and robust rated issuance supported results; Moody's raised its full‑year outlook. Moody's profit rises on strong analytics growth, lifts annual forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Management increased the share buyback authorization to $2.5 billion, signaling confidence in cash generation and supporting EPS per share over time. Moody's Boosts Buybacks To $2.5 Billion Following Q1 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary and some analysts turned bullish after the print, highlighting Moody's exposure to higher issuance and recurring analytics revenue. Analysts Are Bullish on These Financial Stocks: Robinhood (HOOD), Moody’s (MCO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody's declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share (record date May 15, payable June 5), an annualized yield around 0.9% — steady cash return but small yield relative to price.
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue grew ~8.1% year-over-year to $2.08B but was slightly below some estimates (~$2.11B); management emphasized mix and analytics strength. View Press Release
• Negative Sentiment: Operating expenses rose in the quarter (noted by coverage), which trimmed margin upside; revenue slightly missed Street estimates, which could limit upside if issuance or analytics growth slows. MCO Q1 Earnings Beat on Rising Analytics Demand & Higher Issuances

About Moody's

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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