Cercano Management LLC Cuts Stake in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Cercano Management LLC decreased its stake in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 45.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 57,368 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 47,919 shares during the period. Moody’s makes up 1.0% of Cercano Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Cercano Management LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $27,335,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MCO. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Moody’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $987,524,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the second quarter worth $135,968,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 1.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,006,997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $7,527,360,000 after purchasing an additional 191,368 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 223.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 102,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $51,225,000 after purchasing an additional 184,598 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Moody’s by 91.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 235,237 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $117,987,000 after purchasing an additional 112,105 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Moody’s stock opened at $422.91 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $499.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $495.11. Moody’s Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $378.71 and a fifty-two week high of $546.88. The firm has a market cap of $75.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.44.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 63.58% and a net margin of 29.92%.Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Moody’s News

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Reported a Q4 beat: Moody’s posted $3.64 EPS vs. $3.39 consensus and revenue of $1.89B vs. $1.87B; margins and ROE remain strong — this is the primary driver of today’s upside. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance set to $16.40–$17.00 — range includes and slightly exceeds the consensus midpoint, which investors read as essentially in‑line to modestly constructive given the quarter’s upside. Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage with a “Buy” and $550 price target — a high-profile bullish initiation that can support further upside. Finviz
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic expansion: Moody’s established a regional headquarters in Riyadh to deepen Middle East presence, supporting long‑term revenue opportunities tied to regional capital‑markets growth. BusinessWire
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains favorable (average “Moderate Buy”), providing baseline support but not a new catalyst. Analyst Consensus
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/earnings previews suggested healthy loan and bond issuance would boost MIS revenue — these structural tailwinds help explain why results beat but are already largely priced in. Zacks Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and momentum concerns: commentary and analysis highlighting mixed valuation signals after recent share weakness could cap gains despite the beat — investors may wait for confirmation of sustained topline/analytics growth. Yahoo Valuation Piece

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on MCO shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $574.00 price target on Moody’s and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Moody’s from $534.00 to $507.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $520.00 to $526.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Moody’s from $620.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Moody’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $559.81.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 575 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.90, for a total transaction of $286,867.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares in the company, valued at $30,473,809.80. This represents a 0.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

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.