Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Boosts Holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 527.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,481 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,824 shares during the quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $13,858,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of MCO. Wealthsource Partners LLC raised its position in Moody’s by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthsource Partners LLC now owns 3,522 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC grew its position in Moody’s by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Advocates LLC now owns 1,890 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC grew its position in Moody’s by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,580 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Realta Investment Advisors raised its stake in Moody’s by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 997 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,036 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.5 %

MCO opened at $413.92 on Friday. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $298.86 and a 52 week high of $414.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $387.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $379.56. The company has a market capitalization of $75.58 billion, a PE ratio of 45.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.26.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $3.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.31. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 54.50% and a net margin of 27.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.99 EPS. Analysts forecast that Moody’s Co. will post 10.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 37.12%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MCO shares. StockNews.com raised Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $405.00 to $414.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $350.00 to $374.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $430.00 to $414.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on Moody’s from $355.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $400.50.

About Moody’s

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.