Morningstar Investment Management LLC Sells 9,115 Shares of Moody’s Corporation $MCO

Morningstar Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) by 49.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,465 shares of the business services provider’s stock after selling 9,115 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Moody’s were worth $4,129,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Moody’s by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,272,967 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $7,802,195,000 after purchasing an additional 102,682 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,965,480 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,019,551,000 after buying an additional 42,966 shares during the period. PineStone Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,375,768 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $1,213,661,000 after buying an additional 111,725 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 2,370,601 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,211,023,000 after buying an additional 62,798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,349,281 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $1,024,874,000 after buying an additional 72,043 shares in the last quarter. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $500.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Moody’s from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Moody’s from $590.00 to $597.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, July 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $610.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 price objective on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $553.11.

Moody’s News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Moody’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s latest quarterly report topped expectations, with strong revenue growth and raised guidance helping reinforce the company’s earnings momentum. Moodys Corp (MCO) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong Revenue Growth and Raised Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Clear Street reiterated its Buy rating on Moody’s, adding to the view that the company’s business remains fundamentally sound after earnings. Clear Street Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Moody’s (MCO)
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple commentary pieces highlighted Moody’s strong Q2 performance and reaffirmed bullish views, citing solid fundamentals and continued earnings strength. Moody’s Corporation: Strong Q2, I Reiterate My Buy Rating As Fundamentals Are Still Sound
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s also released its quarterly dividend announcement, which is supportive for income investors but not likely a major near-term stock catalyst. Moody’s Corporation dividend announcement
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on valuation, noting that Moody’s may look expensive relative to fair value despite the earnings beat, which could temper upside. Moody’s (MCO) Stock Looks Expensive Relative To Fair Value
• Negative Sentiment: Investor attention is also on broader concerns about valuation after the earnings beat, with some coverage suggesting the stock’s premium pricing may limit further gains. Moody’s (MCO) Earnings Beat Puts Valuation Back In Focus

Moody’s Stock Performance

NYSE MCO opened at $471.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. Moody’s Corporation has a twelve month low of $402.28 and a twelve month high of $546.88. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $465.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $464.80. The firm has a market cap of $82.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.34.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. Moody’s had a return on equity of 80.35% and a net margin of 34.25%.The company had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.56 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 15.1% on a year-over-year basis. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.53%.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In related news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $665,533.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 52,564 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,846,709.88. This trade represents a 2.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total transaction of $71,679.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $900,534.95. The trade was a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,250 shares of company stock worth $1,495,098. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

About Moody’s

Moody’s Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and analytics that support financial decision-making and transparency in capital markets. The company traces its origins to the early 20th century when financial analyst John Moody began publishing credit information; today Moody’s is headquartered in New York and serves a broad set of market participants including investors, issuers, financial institutions, corporations, governments and regulators.

Moody’s operates primarily through two complementary businesses.