Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 14,007.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 80,551 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 79,980 shares during the quarter. Moody’s makes up 1.4% of Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $38,130,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in MCO. Planning Capital Management Corp increased its holdings in Moody’s by 566.7% in the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Moody’s by 272.2% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT purchased a new stake in Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody’s Stock Performance

Shares of MCO opened at $518.66 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $93.98 billion, a PE ratio of 46.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $486.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $479.80. Moody’s Co. has a 12-month low of $360.05 and a 12-month high of $531.93.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 58.94% and a net margin of 29.03%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Moody’s Co. will post 13.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be given a $0.94 dividend. This is an increase from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Moody’s’s payout ratio is presently 30.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MCO has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $481.00 to $531.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Moody’s from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Moody’s from $459.00 to $533.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Moody’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $528.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $494.42, for a total value of $138,932.02. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares in the company, valued at $30,601,631.48. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 843 shares of company stock worth $405,455 in the last quarter. 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.