Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) CEO Robert Fauber Sells 5,213 Shares

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 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 $2,380,829.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,613,594.19. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Robert Fauber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Robert Fauber sold 575 shares of Moody’s stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.90, for a total value of $286,867.50.
• On Monday, February 2nd, Robert Fauber sold 592 shares of Moody’s stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $516.15, for a total value of $305,560.80.

Moody’s Stock Up 1.5%

NYSE MCO traded up $6.76 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $471.06. 1,395,068 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,372,244. The company has a 50 day moving average of $491.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $490.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. Moody’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $378.71 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The firm has a market cap of $83.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.43, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.45.

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

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This is a boost from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 30.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $531.00 price objective on Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Moody’s from $520.00 to $526.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Moody’s from $550.00 to $524.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $550.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in Moody’s by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 363 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. DeDora Capital Inc. now owns 1,315 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $672,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 2.7% during the fourth 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. Carnegie Investment Counsel grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1.9% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, VestGen Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 2.0% during the second quarter. VestGen Advisors LLC now owns 1,097 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $550,000 after buying an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.