Wealthfront Advisers LLC Boosts Holdings in Moody's Corporation $MCO

Key Points

• Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in Moody's by 22.7% to 20,469 shares (about $10.46M) in Q4, while institutional investors now own roughly 92.11% of the company.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently — including SVP Richard Steele and CEO Robert Fauber — with insiders selling 8,222 shares worth about $3.79M over the last 90 days, leaving corporate insiders with only ~0.14% ownership.
• Moody's beat quarterly EPS estimates ($4.33 vs. $4.22), gave FY2026 EPS guidance of $16.40–17.00, and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 (annualized $4.12; ~0.9% yield).

Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 22.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,469 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,782 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $10,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in Moody's in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in Moody's in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Moody's in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Moody's in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Moody's in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In other Moody's news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,459 shares in the company, valued at $1,123,049.89. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.77, for a total value of $642,208.59. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,489 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,046,819.53. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,222 shares of company stock valued at $3,786,732. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Moody's Trading Up 0.6%

Moody's stock opened at $460.77 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $447.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $476.13. The company has a market cap of $80.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.45. 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 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $4.22 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.11 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.83 EPS. Moody's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Moody's Corporation will post 16.68 EPS for the current year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Moody's's payout ratio is currently 29.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Moody's from $526.00 to $489.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $565.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Moody's from $524.00 to $521.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $535.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Moody's from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $544.29.

Moody's News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research lifted its price target on MCO, signaling analyst confidence that Moody’s valuation has more upside and helping support the stock. Wolfe Research Lifts PT on Moody’s (MCO) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs / Barron's named Moody’s among services/AI “winners,” suggesting the market may re-rate the stock if investors buy the narrative that AI boosts Moody’s analytics and product demand. These 8 Services Stocks Are AI Winners, According to Goldman Sachs
• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s was included on a list of “forever” dividend giants, which can support longer‑term investor demand from income-oriented holders. Warren Buffett Will Never Sell These 4 Favorite ‘Forever' Dividend Giants
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysts remain conflicted on financial names including Moody’s, reflecting divergent views that can lead to choppy trading as investors await clearer catalyst. Analysts Conflicted on These Financial Names: Hartford Insurance (HIG) and Moody’s (MCO)
• Neutral Sentiment: An ARGUS analyst report provides updated research on Moody’s but contains no clear consensus swing — worth watching for any model/forecast changes. Analyst Report: Moody's Corp
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s published a credit action on China — revising the outlook to Stable while affirming the A1 rating — a core demonstration of the firm’s rating activity, with limited direct near‑term revenue impact. Moody's Revises China Outlook To Stable, Affirms A1 Rating
• Negative Sentiment: State attorneys general have questioned S&P, Moody’s and Fitch about their ESG policies (23 states), introducing regulatory and reputational risk that could lead to inquiries or constraints on certain rating/commentary activities. S&P Ratings, Moody's, and Fitch questioned about ESG policies by 23 states
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho trimmed its price target slightly (from $524 to $521) and holds a neutral rating — a modest cautionary note that could cap near‑term upside from some institutional analysts. Mizuho price target note (Benzinga)

Moody's Company Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.