William Blair Analysts Boost Earnings Estimates for Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) – Investment analysts at William Blair lifted their Q2 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Moody’s in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, May 2nd. William Blair analyst A. Nicholas now expects that the business services provider will post earnings per share of $2.74 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.70. The consensus estimate for Moody’s’ current full-year earnings is $10.78 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Moody’s’ Q3 2024 earnings at $2.34 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $2.25 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $10.71 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $3.54 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $3.14 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.84 EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at $2.82 EPS.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $3.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.06 by $0.31. Moody’s had a return on equity of 54.50% and a net margin of 27.01%. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Moody’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Moody’s from $430.00 to $414.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report 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 report on Wednesday, February 14th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $411.00 to $424.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $405.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $400.50.

Moody’s Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of MCO opened at $394.06 on Monday. Moody’s has a 52-week low of $298.86 and a 52-week high of $407.62. The business’s fifty day moving average is $384.45 and its 200-day moving average is $375.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $71.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.02, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.26.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is 37.12%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Moody’s by 87.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 122 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Advantage Trust Co acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Company 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.