Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Posted by Doug Wharley on Jul 24th, 2026

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO – Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 16.500-17.000 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 16.710. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MCO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Moody’s from $530.00 to $600.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Moody’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $505.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $565.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $553.11.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on MCO

Moody’s Trading Down 3.5%

NYSE:MCO opened at $472.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $464.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $464.75. Moody’s has a fifty-two week low of $402.28 and a fifty-two week high of $546.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $82.53 billion, a PE ratio of 29.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.34.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody’s had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%.The business had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.56 EPS. Moody’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Moody’s will post 16.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.53%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $665,533.89. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 52,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,846,709.88. The trade was a 2.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 value of $71,679.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 3,250 shares of company stock worth $1,495,098 over the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Moody’s News

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

Positive Sentiment: Moody’s beat second-quarter expectations, reporting $4.68 EPS on $2.19 billion of revenue, with sales up 15.1% year over year. Management also raised its stock repurchase outlook, which signals confidence in cash generation and capital returns. Moodys Corp (MCO) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth and Raised Guidance
Positive Sentiment: Revenue growth was supported by stronger bond issuance activity and steady demand for Moody’s analytics business, reinforcing the company’s “wide moat” positioning and durable growth profile. MCO Q2 Earnings Beat on Rising Analytics Demand & Higher Issuances
Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s reaffirmed its FY 2026 EPS outlook of 16.50 to 17.00, which is broadly in line with Street expectations and suggests management sees continued stability after the strong quarter. Moody’s (MCO) Tops Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Neutral Sentiment: The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, underscoring shareholder returns, but this is a routine capital-allocation update rather than a major catalyst. Moody’s declares $1.03 dividend
Negative Sentiment: Investors appear focused on Moody’s lowered 2026 operating margin guidance, which raises concerns that costs may be offsetting some of the company’s revenue strength and helps explain why the shares have been under pressure despite the earnings beat. Moody’s lowers 2026 operating margin guidance, raises stock repurchases outlook

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Moody’s by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,716,304 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $876,775,000 after buying an additional 726,971 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Moody’s by 315.6% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 417,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $213,424,000 after purchasing an additional 317,245 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Moody’s by 1,222.0% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 324,251 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $154,499,000 after buying an additional 299,724 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Moody’s by 62.8% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 675,076 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $344,865,000 after acquiring an additional 260,431 shares during the period. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 10,311.9% during the 3rd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 197,826 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $94,260,000 after buying an additional 195,926 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

About Moody’s

(Get Free Report)

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.