Graypoint LLC Acquires 113 Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Graypoint LLC raised its holdings in Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) by 13.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 973 shares of the business services provider’s stock after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $462,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MCO. Amalgamated Bank lifted its position in Moody’s by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 35,695 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $16,940,000 after acquiring an additional 1,875 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 11.1% in the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 761 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 21.8% during the third quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 3,688 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,750,000 after buying an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Moody’s during the third quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. raised its position in Moody’s by 15.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. now owns 1,000 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $475,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Price Performance

NYSE MCO opened at $477.22 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $86.47 billion, a PE ratio of 43.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $474.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $444.01. Moody’s Co. has a 52 week low of $337.80 and a 52 week high of $495.10.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.89 by $0.32. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.05% and a return on equity of 57.97%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.43 EPS. Moody’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Moody’s Co. will post 12.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Investors of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 22nd. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.71%. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 31.05%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.40, for a total transaction of $777,294.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,415 shares in the company, valued at $654,296. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on MCO shares. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Moody’s from $495.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Moody’s from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Moody’s from $460.00 to $514.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Moody’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $430.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $500.00.

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.