Legacy Private Trust Co. Has $428,000 Stake in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Legacy Private Trust Co. lowered its stake in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 6.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,232 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 82 shares during the period. Legacy Private Trust Co.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $428,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 4,900.0% during the first quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Moody’s during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Moody’s in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Moody’s by 72.1% during the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 148 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.07% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Price Performance

NYSE:MCO opened at $341.50 on Friday. Moody’s Co. has a 52-week low of $230.16 and a 52-week high of $363.19. The company has a market cap of $62.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 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. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $342.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $322.74.

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 the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.45 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 55.98% and a net margin of 25.81%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.22 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Moody’s Co. will post 10.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 8th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 18th were given a $0.77 dividend. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 17th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on MCO shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Moody’s from $346.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Moody’s from $350.00 to $404.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Bank of America started coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Thursday, June 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $390.00 price target for the company. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $329.56.

Insider Transactions at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 297 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $339.04, for a total value of $100,694.88. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 891 shares in the company, valued at $302,084.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 282 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $351.24, for a total transaction of $99,049.68. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 65,838 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,124,939.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 297 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $339.04, for a total transaction of $100,694.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 891 shares in the company, valued at $302,084.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,065 shares of company stock worth $8,216,543 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s 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.