Two Sigma Advisers LP Reduces Stock Position in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Two Sigma Advisers LP reduced its stake in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 92.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,000 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 108,900 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Moody's were worth $4,260,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Moody's during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Moody's in the fourth quarter valued at about $42,000. Activest Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Moody's during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Moody's by 80.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new position in Moody's in the 4th quarter valued at about $66,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Moody's Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE:MCO traded up $3.01 on Thursday, reaching $481.52. 214,513 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 837,329. Moody's Co. has a 1-year low of $378.71 and a 1-year high of $531.93. The company's 50 day moving average is $453.35 and its 200-day moving average is $473.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81.

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

Moody's Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 62,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,445,682. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Moody's in a report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $550.00 target price on shares of Moody's in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Moody's from $575.00 to $525.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Moody's in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $530.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Moody's from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody's presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $520.87.

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.