King Luther Capital Management Corp Reduces Holdings in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

King Luther Capital Management Corp lowered its position in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 259,637 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,365 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $123,712,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Avestar Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Moody’s by 40.0% in the third quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 889 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd grew its stake in Moody’s by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd now owns 1,122,423 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $534,812,000 after buying an additional 20,619 shares in the last quarter. Levin Capital Strategies L.P. bought a new stake in Moody’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $572,000. CenterBook Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 319.1% during the third quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 10,671 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $5,085,000 after acquiring an additional 8,125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Syon Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 5.4% in the third quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 2,277 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,085,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Daiwa Securities Group upgraded Moody’s from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $500.00 to $590.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Moody’s in a research report on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $550.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Moody’s from $580.00 to $560.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $531.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $559.75.

Trending Headlines about Moody’s

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations — Moody’s reported non‑GAAP EPS of $3.64 (vs. consensus ~ $3.39) and revenue of $1.89B, driven by record investor‑services and strong analytics demand; management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $16.40–$17.00, supporting a constructive outlook. Moodys Corp (MCO) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and Strategic Growth Initiatives
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike — Moody’s raised its quarterly dividend to $1.03 (9.6% increase), payable March 13 with an ex‑dividend date of March 2; this modest yield (≈0.9%) signals confidence in cash flow and returns capital to shareholders.
• Positive Sentiment: New analyst coverage — Bank of America initiated coverage with a Buy and a $550 price target, highlighting upside from current levels and adding institutional endorsement. Analyst initiation — Bank of America buy, $550 PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Strategic expansion — Moody’s opened a regional HQ in Riyadh to deepen Middle East presence as local capital‑markets reforms advance; positive for long‑term growth but a more gradual catalyst. Moody’s Establishes Regional Headquarters in Saudi Arabia, Deepening Presence in Region
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and near‑term expectations — some commentary (and market moves) reflect concerns that the stock already prices in a lot of growth; analysts and commentators warn downside risk if growth or margins slow versus elevated expectations. Moody’s: The Drop Was Expected, Now Looking At 2026

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 592 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $516.15, for a total transaction of $305,560.80. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares in the company, valued at $31,527,474.30. The trade was a 0.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Price Performance

Shares of Moody’s stock opened at $450.09 on Thursday. Moody’s Corporation has a 12 month low of $378.71 and a 12 month high of $546.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $80.30 billion, a PE ratio of 36.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.44. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $498.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $494.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $3.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.39 by $0.25. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.92% and a return on equity of 63.58%. The company had revenue of $1.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.62 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.400-17.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 13th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.94. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.23%.

Moody’s Profile

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.