United Financial Planning Group LLC Takes $602,000 Position in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

United Financial Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,263 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $602,000. Moody’s makes up approximately 0.3% of United Financial Planning Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $267,000. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 44.5% during the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,908 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $957,000 after purchasing an additional 588 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Moody’s by 18.5% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,286 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $645,000 after buying an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Moody’s by 19.0% in the second quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 713 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its position in Moody’s by 2.6% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 23,691 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $11,883,000 after buying an additional 592 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Performance

NYSE:MCO opened at $429.91 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $482.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $488.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.52 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.66. Moody’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $378.71 and a twelve month high of $546.88.

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 firm had revenue of $1.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 66.01% and a net margin of 31.86%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous 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 anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. Moody’s’s payout ratio is currently 30.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Bank of America started coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 price target on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Moody’s from $515.00 to $490.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $550.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 5,213 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,789 shares in the company, valued at $34,613,594.19. This trade represents a 6.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 375 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $456.71, for a total transaction of $171,266.25. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 2,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,123,049.89. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 6,755 shares of company stock worth $3,144,524 in the last 90 days. 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.