Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of 16.400-17.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 16.470. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $539.00 to $550.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen cut Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Moody’s from $534.00 to $507.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Moody’s from $580.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Moody’s from $620.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $559.81.

Moody’s Price Performance

Moody’s stock traded up $26.54 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $449.76. 452,724 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,229,903. Moody’s has a 12-month low of $378.71 and a 12-month high of $546.88. The company has a market cap of $80.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.14, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $499.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $495.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.92% and a return on equity of 63.58%. The company 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 firm earned $2.62 earnings per share. Moody’s’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Moody’s will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 575 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $498.90, for a total transaction of $286,867.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Moody’s reported non‑GAAP EPS of $3.64 (above consensus) and revenue of $1.89B, with revenue up ~13% year‑over‑year, underscoring continued top‑line growth and margin expansion. Moody’s Non-GAAP EPS of $3.64 beats by $0.20, revenue of $1.89B beats by $20M
• Positive Sentiment: Management cites technology scale‑up benefits — the company said efforts to scale new technologies are paying off, helping profit and revenue growth and supporting operating leverage. Moody’s Posts Higher Profit, Revenue
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade adds upside — Bank of America initiated coverage with a “buy” and $550 price target, signaling institutional optimism and potential further buying interest. Finviz coverage note
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance near consensus — management set a range of $16.40–$17.00 (consensus ~$16.47), which is essentially in line with expectations and removes major downside surprise but isn’t a clear upside catalyst. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Regional expansion announced — Moody’s opened a regional headquarters in Riyadh to deepen Middle East presence, a strategic long‑term growth move but unlikely to meaningfully change near‑term earnings. Moody’s Establishes Regional Headquarters in Saudi Arabia
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and recent share weakness are headwinds — MCO still trades at an elevated P/E and has seen recent price weakness, which could limit upside despite the beat and upgrade. Analysts and market commentary flag mixed signals on valuation vs. growth. Valuation and momentum analysis

Institutional Trading of Moody’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 73.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,716,304 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $876,775,000 after acquiring an additional 726,971 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in Moody’s by 315.6% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 417,782 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $213,424,000 after purchasing an additional 317,245 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its stake in Moody’s by 1,222.0% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 324,251 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $154,499,000 after purchasing an additional 299,724 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 10,311.9% during the third quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 197,826 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $94,260,000 after buying an additional 195,926 shares during the period. Finally, Windacre Partnership LLC grew its stake in shares of Moody’s by 18.4% in the third quarter. Windacre Partnership LLC now owns 1,164,900 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $555,052,000 after buying an additional 181,305 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

About Moody’s

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.