Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) Short Interest Up 17.4% in February

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,307,776 shares, a growth of 17.4% from the February 12th total of 1,965,580 shares. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,684,721 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,684,721 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.4 days. Currently, 1.3% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Daiwa Securities Group raised Moody’s from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $500.00 to $590.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Moody’s from $574.00 to $540.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Moody’s from $550.00 to $524.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $550.25.

Moody’s Stock Performance

MCO traded down $2.40 on Wednesday, hitting $438.63. 1,431,812 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,387,786. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $478.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $486.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $78.08 billion, a PE ratio of 32.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 1.45. Moody’s has a 52 week low of $378.71 and a 52 week high of $546.88.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.39 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 66.01% and a net margin of 31.86%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.62 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Moody’s will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.12%.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $2,380,829.23. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $34,613,594.19. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 2,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,123,049.89. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,755 shares of company stock worth $3,144,524. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Moody’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rexford Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Moody’s in the second quarter worth $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

About Moody’s

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.