Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. Purchases 60 Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 0.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,123 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Moody’s comprises about 1.9% of Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Campbell Newman Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $21,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MCO. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter worth about $988,750,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 55,808.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 802,850 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $373,879,000 after purchasing an additional 801,414 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 92,060.2% in the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 612,865 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $290,112,000 after purchasing an additional 612,200 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in Moody’s by 73.6% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,131,656 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $534,255,000 after acquiring an additional 479,599 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the fourth quarter worth about $150,376,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Performance

MCO opened at $471.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The company has a market cap of $84.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.39. Moody’s Co. has a 52-week low of $378.71 and a 52-week high of $531.93. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $461.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $473.48.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.03% and a return on equity of 58.94%. Equities analysts anticipate that Moody’s Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 32.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MCO. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Moody’s from $585.00 to $495.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $530.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Moody’s from $489.00 to $523.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $519.40.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total value of $181,687.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 62,690 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $27,445,682. This trade represents a 0.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.