Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. Boosts Position in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. raised its stake in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,837 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 12,125 shares during the quarter. Moody’s comprises 1.1% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $63,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the second quarter worth $267,000. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in Moody’s by 15.5% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 10,916 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,475,000 after acquiring an additional 1,461 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Moody’s by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $736,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc increased its stake in Moody’s by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 25,303 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $12,692,000 after acquiring an additional 929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in Moody’s by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 72,615 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $36,423,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total value of $73,689.62. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $999,473.77. The trade was a 6.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total value of $684,194.13. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,067,397.71. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,680 shares of company stock valued at $3,952,188. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of MCO stock opened at $434.69 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $443.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $473.29. Moody’s Corporation has a 12-month low of $402.28 and a 12-month high of $546.88. The firm has a market cap of $75.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.37.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.22 by $0.11. Moody’s had a return on equity of 70.97% and a net margin of 31.69%.The firm had revenue of $2.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.11 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.83 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 29.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $565.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Mizuho decreased their target price on Moody’s from $524.00 to $521.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $610.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $535.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Moody’s from $600.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Moody’s currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $544.29.

About Moody’s

Moody’s Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moody’s is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators.

Moody’s operates primarily through two complementary businesses.