Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Shares Acquired by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,895 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,399 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $13,426,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Moody’s by 114.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 75 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $478.82 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.27, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.29. Moody’s Co. has a 52-week low of $298.86 and a 52-week high of $495.10. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $468.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $424.71.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The business services provider reported $3.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.22. Moody’s had a return on equity of 57.03% and a net margin of 28.34%. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.30 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 21.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Moody’s Co. will post 11.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 16th were given a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 16th. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MCO shares. UBS Group upped their target price on Moody’s from $455.00 to $470.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $460.00 to $514.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $500.00 to $570.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Moody’s from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $482.00 to $455.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Raymond James cut Moody’s from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $477.08.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total transaction of $232,030.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 6,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,084,606.82. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Stephen T. Tulenko sold 500 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.06, for a total transaction of $232,030.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 6,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,084,606.82. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.43, for a total transaction of $848,010.66. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $473,647.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,931 shares of company stock valued at $1,332,825. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Moody’s Profile

Moody’s Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody’s Analytics and Moody’s Investors Services. The Moody’s Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets.