Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH Raises Stake in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH increased its holdings in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 561.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,179 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 34,954 shares during the quarter. Moody's comprises about 0.8% of Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH's holdings in Moody's were worth $19,493,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Moody's in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Moody's in the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in Moody's in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Moody's by 80.6% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 121 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in Moody's in the fourth quarter worth about $66,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Moody's Stock Performance

Shares of MCO stock traded down $2.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $479.19. The company had a trading volume of 1,422,075 shares, compared to its average volume of 771,611. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $453.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $473.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.47. The firm has a market cap of $86.21 billion, a PE ratio of 42.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.40. Moody's Co. has a one year low of $378.71 and a one year high of $531.93.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.58 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.90 billion. Moody's had a net margin of 29.03% and a return on equity of 58.94%. Sell-side analysts predict that Moody's Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.78%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.47%.

Insider Activity at Moody's

In other Moody's news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $463.08, for a total transaction of $192,178.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 62,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,092,537.92. The trade was a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on MCO. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Moody's from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Moody's from $475.00 to $456.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Moody's from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Moody's from $610.00 to $572.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Moody's currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $520.87.

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.