Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $37.51 Million Stock Holdings in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its position in shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 72.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,234 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 207,304 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Moody's were worth $37,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Planning Capital Management Corp grew its position 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Moody's by 272.2% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moody's during the third quarter worth $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC raised its position in Moody's by 83.0% in the third quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in Moody's by 101.9% in the third quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 109 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MCO traded down $3.26 during trading on Friday, hitting $475.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 768,378 shares, compared to its average volume of 617,252. The company has a market capitalization of $86.20 billion, a PE ratio of 43.45, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.30. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $480.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $470.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. Moody's Co. has a fifty-two week low of $360.05 and a fifty-two week high of $503.95.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.89 by $0.32. Moody's had a net margin of 29.05% and a return on equity of 57.97%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 23.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Moody's Co. will post 12.17 EPS for the current year.

Moody's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 22nd were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.71%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 22nd. Moody's's payout ratio is 31.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on MCO shares. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Moody's from $490.00 to $512.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com raised Moody's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 24th. Raymond James downgraded Moody's from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Moody's in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $565.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $506.14.

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $473.62, for a total value of $133,087.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares in the company, valued at $29,314,236.28. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,415 shares in the company, valued at $654,296. This trade represents a 54.30 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 2,524 shares of company stock worth $1,178,413. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

About Moody's

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.