Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Sells 3,825 Shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 67,100 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 3,825 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Moody's were worth $31,763,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Planning Capital Management Corp boosted its position in Moody's by 566.7% during the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in Moody's by 272.2% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moody's in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Asset Dedication LLC lifted its position in Moody's by 83.0% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 86 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Moody's by 101.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 109 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.11% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Performance

NYSE MCO traded down $0.15 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $484.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 412,741 shares, compared to its average volume of 610,266. 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. The firm has a market cap of $87.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $480.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $472.10.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.43 EPS. The business's revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Moody's Co. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.99, for a total transaction of $134,596.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 61,354 shares of the company's stock, valued at $29,387,952.46. This trade represents a 0.46 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Caroline Sullivan sold 1,681 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 1,415 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 90 days, insiders sold 2,524 shares of company stock valued at $1,178,413. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Moody's from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Moody's from $454.00 to $459.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Citigroup began coverage on Moody's in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $565.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Moody's from $462.00 to $481.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of Moody's in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. They set an "outperform" rating and a $521.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $507.36.

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.