Moody’s Corporation (MCO) To Go Ex-Dividend on November 20th

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, October 20th. Investors of record on Friday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.03 per share by the business services provider on Friday, December 11th. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th.

Moody’s has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.1% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 16 years. Moody’s has a payout ratio of 26.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Moody’s to earn $18.79 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $4.12 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 21.9%.

Moody’s Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE MCO traded up $7.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $488.19. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 261,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,055,211. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $478.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $467.75. Moody’s has a 52-week low of $402.28 and a 52-week high of $546.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 1.19 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.35.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $4.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.25 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $2.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.08 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 34.25% and a return on equity of 80.35%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.92 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Moody’s will post 16.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Moody’s

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $484.30, for a total value of $710,468.10. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 51,964 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,166,165.20. This represents a 2.75% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Moody’s

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Moody’s by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 6,440 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,810,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the period. Kenora Financial LLC lifted its position in Moody’s by 1.5% during the third quarter. Kenora Financial LLC now owns 1,534 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC raised its position in Moody’s by 3.8% during the first quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 623 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Moody’s by 1.2% in the third quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $885,000 after acquiring an additional 23 shares during the period. Finally, Matrix Trust Co boosted its position in shares of Moody’s by 1.5% during the third quarter. Matrix Trust Co now owns 1,706 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Moody’s

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data, analytics and risk-management solutions. Through Moody’s Investors Service, the company assigns credit ratings and publishes research on corporate, government and structured-finance debt issuers, helping investors and other market participants evaluate credit risk.

Through Moody’s Analytics, the company provides financial intelligence, economic research, data, software and advisory services. Its offerings support credit analysis, lending, portfolio management, enterprise risk management, compliance and related functions across financial institutions, corporations, governments and other organizations.

Moody’s traces its origins to 1909, when John Moody established the company that introduced published credit ratings for bonds.