Signaturefd LLC Has $1.51 Million Position in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 5.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,873 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $1,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in Moody’s by 4,900.0% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Moody’s in the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Moody’s during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 87.7% in the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 122 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.0 %

Shares of MCO stock opened at $374.67 on Monday. Moody’s Co. has a 52-week low of $296.45 and a 52-week high of $407.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market cap of $68.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.92, a PEG ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $384.01 and its 200-day moving average is $369.95.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.60 EPS. Moody’s’s quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 10.77 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.85 per share. This is an increase from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 22nd. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Moody’s from $430.00 to $414.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $411.00 to $424.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Barclays upgraded shares of Moody’s from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $375.00 to $450.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Moody’s from $455.00 to $420.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moody’s has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $397.75.

Moody’s Profile

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.