Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Increases Holdings in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its position in shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 90.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,041 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,766 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Moody's were worth $4,753,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MCO. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Moody's by 16.8% during the 4th quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 50,576 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $23,941,000 after buying an additional 7,288 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Moody's by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 17,162 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,124,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Moody's by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 48,253 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $22,842,000 after buying an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Natixis increased its stake in shares of Moody's by 76.4% in the 4th quarter. Natixis now owns 61,807 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,258,000 after buying an additional 26,766 shares during the period. Finally, Norinchukin Bank The lifted its stake in shares of Moody's by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 7,020 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,323,000 after acquiring an additional 565 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 415 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $437.80, for a total value of $181,687.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 62,690 shares in the company, valued at approximately $27,445,682. The trade was a 0.66 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,392 shares of company stock worth $659,535. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Moody's Stock Down 0.2 %

MCO traded down $0.72 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $438.86. 691,288 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 780,280. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81. Moody's Co. has a 1-year low of $360.05 and a 1-year high of $531.93. The stock's 50-day moving average is $456.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $473.22. The stock has a market cap of $78.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.94, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.38.

Moody's (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.58 by $0.25. Moody's had a return on equity of 58.94% and a net margin of 29.03%. The business had revenue of $1.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.90 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that Moody's Co. will post 13.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Moody's from $610.00 to $572.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Mizuho started coverage on Moody's in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $504.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Moody's from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Moody's from $533.00 to $468.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Moody's in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $530.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Moody's has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $515.87.

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.