Moody’s Corporation $MCO Holdings Boosted by International Assets Investment Management LLC

International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 21,256.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 255,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 253,806 shares during the quarter. Moody’s comprises approximately 0.9% of International Assets Investment Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned about 0.15% of Moody’s worth $115,803,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MCO. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 87.1% in the first quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 58 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 1,866.7% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 59 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Balance Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Price Performance

MCO opened at $493.80 on Friday. Moody’s Corporation has a 1 year low of $402.28 and a 1 year high of $546.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 1.29. The company has a market capitalization of $85.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.35. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $477.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $467.63.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced 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 analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.92 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.11%.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the company’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 value of $710,468.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,166,165.20. This represents a 2.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Michael L. West sold 9,946 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $488.00, for a total value of $4,853,648.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 8,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,176,792. This represents a 53.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,336 shares of company stock worth $5,984,081. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MCO. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $505.00 target price (up from $490.00) on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Moody’s from $470.00 to $480.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $587.00 to $594.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Moody’s from $557.00 to $572.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Moody’s from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Moody’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $552.63.

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.