Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) CEO Robert Fauber Sells 2,546 Shares of Stock

Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) CEO Robert Fauber sold 2,546 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.76, for a total value of $893,034.96. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 58,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,378,805.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Robert Fauber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, October 31st, Robert Fauber sold 2,546 shares of Moody’s stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.21, for a total transaction of $779,610.66.
• On Friday, October 13th, Robert Fauber sold 2,546 shares of Moody’s stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.28, for a total transaction of $815,432.88.
• On Friday, September 29th, Robert Fauber sold 2,546 shares of Moody’s stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $320.93, for a total value of $817,087.78.
• On Friday, September 15th, Robert Fauber sold 2,546 shares of Moody’s stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $343.99, for a total transaction of $875,798.54.
• On Thursday, August 31st, Robert Fauber sold 2,546 shares of Moody’s stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $338.82, for a total transaction of $862,635.72.

Moody’s Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of MCO opened at $353.57 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a current ratio of 1.78. Moody’s Co. has a 52-week low of $272.70 and a 52-week high of $363.19. The firm has a market cap of $64.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.01, a PEG ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 1.28. The business’s fifty day moving average is $325.54 and its 200-day moving average is $330.75.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 25th. The business services provider reported $2.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.35 by $0.08. Moody’s had a net margin of 26.42% and a return on equity of 55.27%. The business had revenue of $1.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Moody’s Co. will post 10.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 24th will be issued a $0.77 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 22nd. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.87%. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 37.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MCO shares. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $381.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, October 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Moody’s from $346.00 to $365.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $332.00 to $318.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 26th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Moody’s from $399.00 to $366.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Moody’s from $390.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $351.54.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 98,060.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 3,127,401 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,087,460,000 after purchasing an additional 3,124,215 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Moody’s in the fourth quarter valued at $425,827,000. TCI Fund Management Ltd. boosted its position in Moody’s by 12.6% during the first quarter. TCI Fund Management Ltd. now owns 10,369,479 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,173,268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,157,192 shares during the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 277.8% during the 3rd quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,544,160 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $488,217,000 after purchasing an additional 1,135,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Veritas Asset Management LLP grew its stake in Moody’s by 67.2% during the second quarter. Veritas Asset Management LLP now owns 2,288,962 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $795,918,000 after purchasing an additional 920,100 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.07% of the company’s stock.

About Moody’s

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.