Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Shares Sold by Crewe Advisors LLC

Crewe Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,155 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 368 shares during the period. Moody’s comprises approximately 0.7% of Crewe Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Crewe Advisors LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $4,638,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Markel Corp lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Markel Corp now owns 212,990 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $71,865,000 after buying an additional 1,750 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its stake in Moody’s by 6.8% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 2,126 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $717,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,078,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Moody’s by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,980 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $668,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. increased its position in Moody’s by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 30,994 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $10,457,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the period. 90.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Moody’s news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 418 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $344.13, for a total value of $143,846.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 65,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,656,830.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Mark Kaye sold 15,158 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.97, for a total transaction of $5,168,423.26. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 4,447 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,516,293.59. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 418 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $344.13, for a total transaction of $143,846.34. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 65,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,656,830.94. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 24,483 shares of company stock worth $8,360,390. 0.42% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCO traded down $1.34 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $337.98. 199,679 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 771,771. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $343.17 and its 200 day moving average is $320.55. The stock has a market cap of $62.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65. Moody’s Co. has a 1-year low of $230.16 and a 1-year high of $363.19.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 25th. The business services provider reported $2.30 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.45 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 25.81% and a return on equity of 55.98%. The business’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.22 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Moody’s Co. will post 10.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Friday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 17th. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on MCO. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Moody’s from $350.00 to $404.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $300.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Barclays lifted their price target on Moody’s from $300.00 to $350.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Moody’s from $355.00 to $360.00 in a report on Wednesday, May 17th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $325.53.

Moody’s Company Profile

Moody's Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody's Investors Service and Moody's Analytics. The Moody's Investors Service segment publishes credit ratings and provides assessment services on various debt obligations, programs and facilities, and entities that issue such obligations, such as various corporate, financial institution, and governmental obligations, as well as and structured finance securities.