JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Price Target to $560.00

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) had its price target lowered by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $600.00 to $560.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the business services provider’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target points to a potential upside of 25.92% from the stock’s previous close.

MCO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Moody’s from $520.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $620.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $553.75.

Moody’s Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Moody’s stock traded down $6.03 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $444.73. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 406,841 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,270,854. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $498.58 and a 200-day moving average of $494.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a current ratio of 1.84. The stock has a market cap of $79.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.44. Moody’s has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $546.88.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.25. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.92% and a return on equity of 63.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Moody’s will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 592 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $516.15, for a total transaction of $305,560.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 61,082 shares in the company, valued at $31,527,474.30. This represents a 0.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 37.0% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 98,838 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $47,059,000 after buying an additional 26,685 shares in the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its holdings in Moody’s by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 21,410 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,938,000 after acquiring an additional 965 shares in the last quarter. Braeburn Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at $603,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 27,652 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $14,126,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Moody’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Moody’s reported non‑GAAP EPS of $3.64 and revenue of $1.89B, topping consensus and showing double‑digit revenue growth, driven by strong demand for analytics and investors services. Q4 Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Upbeat FY‑2026 outlook — management set EPS guidance of $16.40–$17.00 and described strong ratings demand, signaling continued revenue drivers into 2026. Guidance Article
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raise — Moody’s announced a quarterly dividend of $1.03 (≈9.6% increase), boosting shareholder yield and signaling confidence in cash flow. (Record/ex‑dividend dates announced with payout in March.)
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic expansion — Moody’s opened a regional headquarters in Riyadh to deepen Middle East presence and access accelerating capital‑markets activity under Saudi Vision 2030. Riyadh HQ
• Negative Sentiment: Profit‑taking / market reaction — despite beats and guidance, shares are trading lower as investors trim positions after recent gains; some commentary suggested the pullback was expected and investors are refocusing on 2026 execution and margins. Drop Was Expected
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation & technicals — MCO trades at a high P/E and below its 50‑day moving average after recent highs; lower-than‑average trading volume suggests the move may be profit‑taking rather than a fundamental reversal.

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.