Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Decreases Position in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 221,437 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 8,603 shares during the quarter. Moody's comprises 1.2% of Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Moody's worth $104,822,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of MCO. Planning Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in Moody's by 566.7% in the third quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Moody's by 272.2% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Moody's during the third quarter worth $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 during the period. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in Moody's in the fourth quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCO traded up $8.83 during trading on Thursday, reaching $499.15. 646,857 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 609,581. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.45 billion, a PE ratio of 45.58, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.30. The company's 50 day moving average is $482.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $473.99. Moody's Co. has a 52 week low of $360.05 and a 52 week high of $503.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69.

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In other Moody's news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $474.86, for a total value of $133,435.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 61,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,390,984.84. This represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 843 shares of company stock valued at $401,119. Company insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on MCO. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Moody's from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of Moody's in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $521.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Moody's from $468.00 to $481.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Moody's in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $565.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Moody's from $510.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody's presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $507.36.

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.