Truist Financial Corp Sells 887 Shares of Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO)

Truist Financial Corp trimmed its position in Moody's Co. (NYSE:MCO - Free Report) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,891 shares of the business services provider's stock after selling 887 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp's holdings in Moody's were worth $12,730,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Moody's by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 24,711 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $11,697,000 after purchasing an additional 978 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Moody's by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 8,335 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,161,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Moody's by 384.0% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Moody's during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $6,915,000. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Moody's by 8.9% during the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 1,019 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $483,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Moody's

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of Moody's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $474.86, for a total value of $133,435.66. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $29,390,984.84. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,124 shares of company stock worth $552,193. Insiders own 0.07% of the company's stock.

Moody's Stock Performance

Shares of MCO stock traded down $12.00 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $499.62. 1,348,207 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 754,611. Moody's Co. has a fifty-two week low of $360.05 and a fifty-two week high of $531.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $486.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $480.29. 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 (NYSE:MCO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Moody's had a return on equity of 58.94% and a net margin of 29.03%. Analysts predict that Moody's Co. will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody's Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 25th. This is a boost from Moody's's previous quarterly dividend of $0.85. Moody's's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MCO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Moody's from $459.00 to $533.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup began coverage on Moody's in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $565.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Moody's from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Moody's from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Moody's in a research report on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moody's currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $528.77.

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.