Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 16.500-17.000 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 16.710. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCO. Morgan Stanley set a $512.00 price target on Moody’s in a research note on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Moody’s from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Barclays boosted their target price on Moody’s from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Moody’s from $524.00 to $521.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Friday, July 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $610.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $551.42.

Moody’s Trading Down 0.3%

Moody’s stock opened at $489.38 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Moody’s has a 12-month low of $402.28 and a 12-month high of $546.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $85.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $463.40 and a 200 day moving average of $464.93.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The business services provider reported $4.68 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.42. The company had revenue of $2.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.09 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 31.69% and a return on equity of 70.97%. Moody’s’s quarterly revenue was up 15.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.56 EPS. Moody’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 16.500-17.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Moody’s will post 16.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Moody’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 4th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $1.03 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Moody’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.53%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Richard G. Steele sold 158 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $453.67, for a total value of $71,679.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,985 shares in the company, valued at approximately $900,534.95. This represents a 7.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of Moody’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $466.39, for a total value of $684,194.13. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,189 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,067,397.71. This trade represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 3,250 shares of company stock valued at $1,495,098 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Moody’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s posted Q2 EPS of $4.68 and revenue of $2.19 billion, both ahead of Wall Street estimates, with revenue up 15.1% year over year. Strong bond issuance activity and steady analytics demand helped drive the results. Article title
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its stock repurchase outlook, which can support shareholder returns and signals confidence in cash generation. Article title
• Neutral Sentiment: Moody’s declared a quarterly dividend of $1.03 per share, reinforcing its income profile, though this was expected and is unlikely to be the main driver of the stock today. Article title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the earnings beat, Moody’s shares have been pressured by a slightly softer 2026 outlook: management guided EPS to $16.50-$17.00 and lowered operating margin guidance, suggesting some profit pressure ahead. Article title

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MCO. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Moody’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Birchwood Financial Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Moody’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Moody’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in Moody’s during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Wealth Watch Advisors INC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.