Candriam S.C.A. Sells 25,535 Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Candriam S.C.A. lessened its stake in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 62.2% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 15,550 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 25,535 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $5,407,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avitas Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Moody’s by 1.2% during the second quarter. Avitas Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,556 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $889,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Sepio Capital LP lifted its holdings in Moody’s by 0.3% during the second quarter. Sepio Capital LP now owns 10,829 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $3,766,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Lincoln National Corp increased its position in Moody’s by 2.7% in the second quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 1,274 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its position in Moody’s by 4.4% in the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 831 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC increased its position in Moody’s by 1.0% in the first quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 3,630 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,224,000 after buying an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In other Moody’s news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.88, for a total transaction of $294,969.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,188.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Moody’s news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 873 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $337.88, for a total transaction of $294,969.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,188.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 2,546 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $343.99, for a total value of $875,798.54. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 62,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,615,643.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 18,906 shares of company stock valued at $6,221,739 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE MCO opened at $344.57 on Friday. Moody’s Co. has a 1-year low of $272.70 and a 1-year high of $363.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $324.77 and a 200-day moving average of $329.62. The firm has a market cap of $63.06 billion, a PE ratio of 41.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.28.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 25th. The business services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.08. Moody’s had a return on equity of 55.27% and a net margin of 26.42%. The company had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. Moody’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Moody’s Co. will post 10.03 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 22nd. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 37.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MCO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Moody’s from $344.00 to $333.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, September 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $390.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Moody’s from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Moody’s from $346.00 to $365.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Moody’s from $399.00 to $366.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moody’s has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $351.54.

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.