Caxton Associates LLP Makes New Investment in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 12,316 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $5,373,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCO. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 11.4% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 256,458 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $111,886,000 after acquiring an additional 26,329 shares during the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Moody’s by 13.6% in the 1st quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 16,290 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,107,000 after purchasing an additional 1,954 shares in the last quarter. Quantum Capital Management LLC NJ boosted its stake in Moody’s by 18.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantum Capital Management LLC NJ now owns 99,704 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $43,496,000 after purchasing an additional 15,833 shares during the last quarter. Militia Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the first quarter worth $643,000. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 37.4% during the first quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 639 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $279,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $472.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $82.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.34. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $464.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $464.75. Moody’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $402.28 and a 1 year high of $546.88.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.09 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.56 earnings per share. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCO. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $565.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Moody’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 target price on Moody’s in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 price target on Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $553.11.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $900,534.95. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $665,533.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 52,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,846,709.88. This represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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.

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

About Moody’s

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.