Amalgamated Bank Grows Stock Holdings in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Amalgamated Bank increased its position in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 35,695 shares of the business services provider's stock after acquiring an additional 1,875 shares during the quarter. Amalgamated Bank's holdings in Moody's were worth $16,940,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. bought a new position in shares of Moody's in the first quarter worth $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Moody's by 114.3% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 75 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody's during the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in shares of Moody's in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Asset Dedication LLC grew its stake in Moody's by 83.0% during the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Moody's Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of MCO traded down $1.06 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $461.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,327,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 739,362. Moody's Co. has a 52-week low of $332.05 and a 52-week high of $495.10. 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 stock's 50 day moving average price is $475.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $443.05. The firm has a market cap of $83.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.29.

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

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 22nd will be paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. This represents a $3.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 22nd. Moody's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on MCO shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Moody's from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Moody's from $430.00 to $510.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Moody's from $536.00 to $543.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Moody's in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $521.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Moody's from $490.00 to $512.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Moody's has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $500.00.

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In related news, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of the business'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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,415 shares in the company, valued at $654,296. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Moody's news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 1,862 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $455.43, for a total transaction of $848,010.66. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,040 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $473,647.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $462.40, for a total value of $777,294.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 1,415 shares in the company, valued at $654,296. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,043 shares of company stock worth $1,857,335. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

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.