Sora Investors LLC Makes New $3.38 Million Investment in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Sora Investors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 7,143 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,381,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Moody's during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Moody's in the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. Albion Financial Group UT bought a new stake in Moody's in the fourth quarter worth approximately $45,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new stake in Moody's in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Moody's Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:MCO traded up $3.25 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $492.15. 551,525 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 771,035. The stock has a market cap of $88.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.67, a P/E/G 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $378.71 and a 12-month high of $531.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $449.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $472.55.

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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.90 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 58.94% and a net margin of 29.03%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Moody's Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.76%. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.47%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moody's news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $463.08, for a total value of $192,178.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 62,824 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,092,537.92. The trade was a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,111 shares of company stock valued at $520,603. Insiders own 0.14% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on Moody's from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Moody's from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Moody's in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 target price for the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on Moody's from $570.00 to $520.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 4th. Finally, William Blair reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Moody's in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $515.87.

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.