Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) CEO Robert Fauber Sells 1,743 Shares of Stock

Moody’s Corporation (NYSE:MCO) CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,743 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $510.75, for a total transaction of $890,237.25. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 51,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,234,163. This represents a 3.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Robert Fauber also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, October 1st, Robert Fauber sold 923 shares of Moody’s stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.00, for a total transaction of $419,965.00.

Moody’s Stock Down 0.2%

MCO stock opened at $510.05 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $477.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $466.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Moody’s Corporation has a 52 week low of $402.28 and a 52 week high of $546.88.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 21st. The business services provider reported $4.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.25 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $2.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.08 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 84.76% and a net margin of 35.26%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.92 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Moody’s Corporation will post 16.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.03 per share. This represents a $4.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 20th. Moody’s’s payout ratio is 25.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MCO. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $600.00 target price (up from $565.00) on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Moody’s from $470.00 to $480.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price target on Moody’s from $500.00 to $535.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Moody’s from $580.00 to $575.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Moody’s from $557.00 to $593.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Moody’s presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $552.63.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Moody’s by 87.1% in the 1st quarter. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC now owns 58 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new position in Moody’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Gen Wealth Partners Inc acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Moody’s by 148.5% during the 3rd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 82 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balance Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Moody’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 92.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Moody’s

Moody’s Corporation is a global provider of credit ratings, research, data and risk-analysis services. Through Moody’s Investors Service, it assesses the creditworthiness of businesses, governments and financial instruments, providing ratings and related research to investors and other market participants. Its Moody’s Analytics business offers data, software and analytical tools used in areas such as credit and financial risk management, compliance, and economic research. The company serves clients across international markets, including financial institutions, corporations, governments and investors.