Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) CEO Robert Fauber Sells 5,213 Shares

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $2,380,829.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,789 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,613,594.19. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Robert Fauber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 3rd, Robert Fauber sold 575 shares of Moody’s stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.90, for a total value of $286,867.50.
• On Monday, February 2nd, Robert Fauber sold 592 shares of Moody’s stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $516.15, for a total transaction of $305,560.80.

Moody’s Price Performance

MCO opened at $471.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.74. Moody’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $378.71 and a 1-year high of $546.88. The company has a 50-day moving average of $490.89 and a 200-day moving average of $490.85. The company has a market capitalization of $83.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.43, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.45.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.39 by $0.25. Moody’s had a return on equity of 66.01% and a net margin of 31.86%.The firm had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.62 earnings per share. Moody’s’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Moody’s’s payout ratio is presently 30.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Daiwa Securities Group raised shares of Moody’s from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $500.00 to $590.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Barclays lowered their target price on Moody’s from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target 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, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Moody’s from $550.00 to $524.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moody’s presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $550.25.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the second quarter worth about $267,000. World Investment Advisors bought a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $201,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its stake in shares of Moody’s by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 964 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $484,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 40.8% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,923 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,968,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association lifted its stake in Moody’s by 3.3% during the second quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 6,228 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,123,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.