Seaport Res Ptn Upgrades Moody's (NYSE:MCO) to "Strong-Buy"

Key Points

• Seaport Res Ptn has upgraded **Moody's (NYSE:MCO)** to a **"strong-buy"** rating, reflecting positive investor sentiment.
• Moody's reported **earnings per share** of **$3.56** in its latest quarterly results, exceeding estimates and showing a **4.5% year-over-year** revenue growth.
• The stock has a consensus rating of **"Moderate Buy"** with an average target price of **$541.21**, supported by multiple analysts raising their price targets recently.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Seaport Res Ptn to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on MCO. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Moody's from $525.00 to $552.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Moody's from $509.00 to $534.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Moody's from $552.00 to $563.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Moody's from $445.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $550.00 price objective on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $541.21.

Moody's Stock Performance

MCO opened at $479.95 on Wednesday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $504.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $481.28. Moody's has a 52-week low of $378.71 and a 52-week high of $531.93. The company has a market cap of $85.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.78, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.42. 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 (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Moody's had a net margin of 29.18% and a return on equity of 60.73%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.28 EPS. Moody's has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.500-14.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Moody's will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody's

In related news, insider Michael L. West sold 3,704 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $511.10, for a total value of $1,893,114.40. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 8,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,195,619.90. This represents a 31.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Noemie Clemence Heuland sold 897 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $508.24, for a total value of $455,891.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 2,148 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,091,699.52. The trade was a 29.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 9,423 shares of company stock worth $4,812,135. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody's

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Moody's during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in Moody's during the second quarter worth $25,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its position in shares of Moody's by 1,000.0% during the first quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 55 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Moody's in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Moody's during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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