Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $550.5789.

MCO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $491.00 to $496.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $560.00 to $590.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $535.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Moody’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th.

Moody’s Stock Down 3.2%

Shares of MCO opened at $489.25 on Friday. Moody’s 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $462.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $465.09. The company has a market capitalization of $85.47 billion, a PE ratio of 35.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.34.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.22 by $0.11. Moody’s had a net margin of 31.69% and a return on equity of 70.97%. The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.83 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Moody’s will post 16.73 EPS for the current year.

Key Moody’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Moody’s to $600 from $530 and maintained an overweight rating, signaling confidence in the company’s earnings power and upside potential. Benzinga report on JPMorgan price target hike
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary around Q2 suggests stronger global bond issuance volumes, which could support Moody’s ratings and analytics revenue through higher investment-grade, high-yield, and structured-finance activity.
• Positive Sentiment: Several previews ahead of earnings highlight Moody’s as a financially strong company with solid growth prospects, and analysts are broadly bullish on the stock heading into the report. Article on bullish analyst views
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are waiting for Moody’s Q2 2026 earnings, with coverage focusing on whether the company can beat estimates and justify its premium valuation. Seeking Alpha earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s also issued a warning on rising Indonesia risks despite the country’s 2.85% deficit target, but this looks more like a macro risk update than a company-specific catalyst. Yahoo Finance article on Indonesia risks
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary notes that Moody’s is trading at a rich earnings multiple ahead of its report, which may weigh on the stock if results do not clearly exceed expectations. Motley Fool valuation article

Insider Activity

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $665,533.89. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 52,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,846,709.88. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $71,679.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,534.95. This trade represents a 7.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,250 shares of company stock worth $1,495,098. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Moody’s

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 363 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $185,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 1,315 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 1,081 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $552,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 753 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Moody’s by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $968,000 after acquiring an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

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.