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

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC cut its stake in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 22.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,633 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 465 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealthsource Partners LLC boosted its stake in Moody’s by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wealthsource Partners LLC now owns 3,522 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,114,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Moody’s by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,580 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Realta Investment Advisors boosted its stake in Moody’s by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 997 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank lifted its stake in Moody’s by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. American National Bank now owns 866 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Finally, PDS Planning Inc lifted its stake in Moody’s by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 1,015 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $321,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MCO opened at $377.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $386.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $367.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $296.45 and a 52 week high of $407.62.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.19 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.14). Moody’s had a net margin of 27.16% and a return on equity of 55.23%. The business had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.60 earnings per share. Moody’s’s quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 10.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a $0.85 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. This is a positive change from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on MCO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $420.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Barclays upgraded shares of Moody’s from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $375.00 to $450.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 2nd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $425.00 to $405.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $430.00 to $414.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $397.75.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 2,547 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $376.50, for a total value of $958,945.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 54,099 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,368,273.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Moody’s

Moody's Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moody's Analytics and Moody's Investors Services. The Moody's Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets.