EWG Elevate Inc. Takes Position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

EWG Elevate Inc. bought a new position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 619 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $215,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MCO. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 4,900.0% during the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Moody’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Moody’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 72.1% in the first quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 148 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. 90.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCO opened at $343.40 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $342.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $323.57. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $230.16 and a 52 week high of $363.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.25, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.30.

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

Moody’s Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $300.00 to $323.00 in a research note on Monday, July 10th. Bank of America started coverage on Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, June 15th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Moody’s from $328.00 to $362.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 3rd. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $300.00 to $350.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $329.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 297 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $339.04, for a total value of $100,694.88. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 891 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,084.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 2,549 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $331.23, for a total transaction of $844,305.27. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 64,838 shares in the company, valued at $21,476,290.74. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 297 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The stock was 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 approximately $302,084.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 26,611 shares of company stock valued at $9,092,342 over the last three months. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.