Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO) Position Raised by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 56,195 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 2,010 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $26,670,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. New Covenant Trust Company N.A. purchased a new position in Moody's in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Moody's by 114.3% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 75 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in Moody's in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Moody's in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC purchased a new position in Moody's in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Moody's Stock Performance

MCO stock traded up $1.27 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $478.45. The company had a trading volume of 698,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 739,151. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $474.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $444.89. Moody's Co. has a fifty-two week low of $342.16 and a fifty-two week high of $495.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $86.70 billion, a PE ratio of 43.58, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.29.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.32. Moody's had a return on equity of 57.97% and a net margin of 29.05%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.43 earnings per share. Moody's's quarterly revenue was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Moody's Co. will post 12.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on Moody's from $450.00 to $475.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Moody's from $495.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Moody's from $455.00 to $464.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Moody's from $536.00 to $543.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Moody's from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $500.00.

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In other news, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of the business'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 transaction of $777,294.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 1,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $654,296. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.