StockNews.com Downgrades Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) to Hold

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on MCO. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Moody’s in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $565.00 price target for the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Moody’s from $543.00 to $545.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Moody’s from $481.00 to $508.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Moody’s from $510.00 to $540.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Moody’s in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $528.77.

Moody’s Stock Down 0.8 %

Moody’s stock opened at $498.05 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $488.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $481.79. Moody’s has a 1-year low of $360.05 and a 1-year high of $531.93. The company has a market cap of $89.65 billion, a PE ratio of 44.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.67.

Moody’s (NYSE:MCO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The business services provider reported $2.62 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Moody’s had a net margin of 29.03% and a return on equity of 58.94%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Moody’s will post 13.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Moody’s

In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 281 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $473.62, for a total value of $133,087.22. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 61,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $29,314,236.28. The trade was a 0.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 1,124 shares of company stock worth $552,193 over the last ninety days. 0.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Moody’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Planning Capital Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Moody’s by 566.7% during the 3rd quarter. Planning Capital Management Corp now owns 60 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Moody’s by 272.2% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Moody’s in the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Moody’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Moody’s in the fourth quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the company’s stock.

About Moody’s

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.