Moody’s Corporation $MCO Shares Purchased by Rakuten Investment Management Inc.

Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 48.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 20,524 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,706 shares during the quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $10,653,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MCO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at $1,097,101,000. Egerton Capital UK LLP acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at $395,096,000. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Moody’s by 315.6% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 417,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $213,424,000 after buying an additional 317,245 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Moody’s by 1,222.0% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 324,251 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $154,499,000 after buying an additional 299,724 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP grew its holdings in Moody’s by 340.0% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 283,744 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $135,198,000 after buying an additional 219,251 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Price Performance

MCO stock opened at $468.97 on Wednesday. Moody’s Corporation has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $449.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $468.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.35.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.22 by $0.11. Moody’s had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The business had revenue of $2.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.83 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.69 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.53%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen cut Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $610.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Moody’s from $560.00 to $590.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $544.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total value of $684,194.13. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,067,397.71. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares in the company, valued at $900,534.95. This trade represents a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 4,717 shares of company stock worth $2,137,306 over the last ninety days. Corporate 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.