Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Stock Gets Price Target Reduction from Stifel Nicolaus

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its price target cut by Stifel Nicolaus from $550.00 to $537.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the business services provider’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $521.00 to $530.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, July 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Moody’s from $587.00 to $594.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 target price (up from $565.00) on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Moody’s from $610.00 to $575.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $552.63.

Moody’s Stock Down 1.6%

MCO stock opened at $483.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $83.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.35. Moody’s has a fifty-two week low of $402.28 and a fifty-two week high of $546.88. The business has a 50-day moving average of $478.05 and a 200-day moving average of $468.20.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($0.11). Moody’s had a net margin of 35.26% and a return on equity of 84.76%. The firm had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.92 EPS. The company’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Moody’s will post 16.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $484.30, for a total transaction of $710,468.10. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,166,165.20. The trade was a 2.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC increased its holdings in Moody’s by 87.1% during the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 58 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in Moody’s by 1,866.7% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 59 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter worth $27,000. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s during the second quarter worth $45,000. Finally, Axiom Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Moody’s in the first quarter valued at $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Key Moody’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s reported strong momentum in AI-related infrastructure issuance, which increased fourfold year over year. Management also slightly raised its outlook, while refinancing needs exceeding $5 trillion across the U.S. and Europe could support future ratings and analytics demand. MCO Q3 deep dive: AI infrastructure and analytics drive segment divergence, guidance slightly raised
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank maintained a Buy rating and raised its price target to $561 from $559, indicating analysts still see meaningful upside. Deutsche Bank adjusts Moody’s price target
• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, or $4.12 annualized, providing continued shareholder returns. The yield is approximately 0.8%.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed. Bank of America, Stifel and Deutsche Bank retained Buy ratings despite trimming or making only modest adjustments to their targets, while Morgan Stanley raised its target to $480, close to the recent trading level. Analysts have conflicting sentiments on financial companies
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter results missed expectations: earnings per share came in at $4.14 versus the $4.25 consensus, while revenue of $2.02 billion fell short of the $2.08 billion estimate. Revenue growth was only 0.8% year over year, raising concerns about near-term operating momentum. Moody’s misses Q3 2026 revenue estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary highlighting Moody’s elevated valuation—around 30 times earnings—has intensified concerns that the stock’s premium price leaves limited room for execution disappointments. Moody’s Q3 earnings emphasize detached valuation

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data, analytics and risk-management solutions. Through Moody’s Investors Service, the company assigns credit ratings and publishes research on corporate, government and structured-finance debt issuers, helping investors and other market participants evaluate credit risk.

Through Moody’s Analytics, the company provides financial intelligence, economic research, data, software and advisory services. Its offerings support credit analysis, lending, portfolio management, enterprise risk management, compliance and related functions across financial institutions, corporations, governments and other organizations.

Moody’s traces its origins to 1909, when John Moody established the company that introduced published credit ratings for bonds.