Virtus Advisers LLC Takes Position in Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Virtus Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 1,089 shares of the business services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $546,000. Moody’s accounts for approximately 0.7% of Virtus Advisers LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Moody’s in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 50.0% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 66 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 22 shares in the last quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its position in shares of Moody’s by 42.9% during the 2nd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 80 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Finally, Maryland Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s Stock Up 0.8%

MCO stock opened at $490.85 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $87.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $481.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $492.24. Moody’s Corporation has a 1-year low of $378.71 and a 1-year high of $531.93.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $2.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.92 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 63.58% and a net margin of 29.92%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.21 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.500-14.750 EPS. Analysts expect that Moody’s Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be given a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.23%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,167 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.95, for a total transaction of $558,934.65. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 61,082 shares in the company, valued at $29,255,223.90. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,569 shares of company stock worth $1,253,848. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $528.00 price target on shares of Moody’s and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Raymond James Financial raised shares of Moody’s from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Moody’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Moody’s from $534.00 to $507.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $543.07.

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.