Russell Investments Group Ltd. Acquires 1,181 Shares of Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 0.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 666,876 shares of the business services provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,181 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.37% of Moody’s worth $318,250,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCO. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s in the second quarter valued at about $267,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Moody’s during the second quarter worth about $87,000. Savant Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 3,573 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,792,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 11.0% during the 2nd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 856 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Moody’s by 44.5% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $957,000 after acquiring an additional 588 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCO stock opened at $472.14 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $84.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.45. Moody’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $378.71 and a 52 week high of $546.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.74. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $488.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $490.12.

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

Moody’s Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on MCO shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $550.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $550.00 to $524.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Moody’s from $620.00 to $660.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $550.25.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In related news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $171,266.25. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,459 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,123,049.89. This trade represents a 13.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total value of $2,380,829.23. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,755 shares of company stock worth $3,144,524. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s 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.