Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Moody’s Co. (NYSE:MCO) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $397.75.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MCO. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Moody’s from $411.00 to $424.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. UBS Group lifted their target price on Moody’s from $355.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $450.00 target price on shares of Moody’s in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Moody’s from $420.00 to $410.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Moody’s from $425.00 to $405.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 14th.

Moody’s Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of MCO stock opened at $375.41 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.27. Moody’s has a twelve month low of $296.45 and a twelve month high of $407.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $385.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $368.69.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Moody’s had a return on equity of 55.23% and a net margin of 27.16%. The company’s revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.60 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Moody’s will post 10.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Moody’s Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 23rd were paid a $0.85 dividend. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.91%. This is an increase from Moody’s’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 22nd. Moody’s’s payout ratio is currently 38.95%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ancora Advisors LLC raised its stake in Moody’s by 4,900.0% during the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 100 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Moody’s during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. 92.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Moody’s Company Profile

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.